DxD Deuteronomy: Ein
by DiLost
Summary: Not all Angels stay above the clouds, there are some who walk among humans. What would happen when an Angel meets Hyoudou Issei before the Devils? An AU fic. Heavy religious/mythology themes.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD.**

 **Warning, this story contains religious and mythological elements. The author does not mean any disrespect to the mentioned religious views.  
**

 **Thanks to Wrathie Winsre for the cover image!**

* * *

 **DxD Deuteronomy Ein**

 **Prologue**

* * *

Hyoudou Issei is my name. My parents and friends call me Ise.

And right now, I'm running for my life.

"Damn it! Damn it! How could it come to this?"

I shouted as I ran. Passing through many other students who would point at me and whisper to their friends.

I barely could hear one of them muttering about the pervert trio causing trouble again. That's not fair! They don't even know why I'm running but they are already blaming me and my friends, Matsuda and Motohama?

...what's with that look? Don't you believe me?!

...I'm sorry. It's our fault. Matsuda told Motohama and I that he found a peephole in the room beside the girls' changing room. With great spirits, we went there just as the Kendo Club is about to change. We peeped, well... Matsuda and Motohama did. I didn't manage to catch a glimpse because those two bastards monopolized the peephole!

Then Matsuda and Motohama gave several enviable observations about the girls they saw. I wanted to peek too! Just as I was about to drag Matsuda and Motohama away for a turn, the girls screamed, noticing us.

We immediately abandoned the peeking spot and ran away. But the girls seemed to be empowered by their rage and charged at us as soon as they were clothed.

And now we are being chased by a pack of sword-wielding girls who are trying to beat us up.

Wait a second. Now that I thought about it. Where's Matsuda and Motohama? I looked to my left and right as I keep running. They aren't here! Did they get caught? Should I turn back?

"Hyoudou Issei!"

I heard a roar from behind me and I immediately uttered prayers for Matsuda and Motohama. Their sacrifice would not be in vain! I will escape!

I imagined the girls chasing after me. Their swords waving like demons, their faces flushed from exertion, giving them a rather sexy look. My imagination then took it a step further by supplying me how their oppai would bounce as they ran.

Uwoh! I could feel a different kind of strength welling inside me! I tried to turn my head to catch a glimpse of the girls.

Seeing my gaze, they screamed and shouted death threats at me. Making me discard any thoughts of slowing down or peeking, and focused my strength in running.

Unfortunately for me, I didn't get a power-up from this, so the girls were growing closer with each step I took. Realizing that I can't escape like this, I turned in one of the hallway and entered the first classroom I found.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, it happened to be my class and there's someone in here.

A red haired student with red eyes sat on one of the chair, reading a book. He met my gaze with his own. After a second or so passed, he ignored me and returned his attention to the book he is reading. I blinked, realizing that I didn't know who he was.

Then the voices of the kendo club girls reached my ears and I ran towards the huge locker at the back of my classroom that we usually use to keep cleaning tools. I opened the locker and hid myself inside it.

The door to the classroom was opened, and the girls entered. I paled as I realized they were approaching the red haired student. If he spilled my location, I'm doomed!

The girls seemed to ask the male student something, and he replied. I panicked, thinking that he told the girls my hiding spot.

Unexpectedly the girls left the classroom and I sighed in relief. When I opened the locker, I saw the student approaching me. I tried to recall who he was.

"I informed them that I did not see anyone entering the classroom. For now, you should be fine in here."

I sighed in relief, thanking him for keeping the girls away from me. Then I asked who he was.

He blinked, as if not expecting that question.

"My name is Potestas Kamael. I transferred to Kuoh Academy last week."

Ah, now that he mentioned it. I could remember our teacher saying something about that and introducing a transfer student. Matsuda, Motohama and I ignored them when we heard that the student was a boy though. So he is the transfer student...

But... Potesutasu Kamaeru? That was difficult to pronounce. He corrected me and told me to call him Kamael.

"You must be Hyoudou Issei-san," He stated as he stared at me. I felt a bit uncomfortable because of his stare.

"Kamael-san, how did you know my name?" I asked him. I never introduced myself to him, where could he heard my name from?

"Our classmates warned me of you and your friends. They claimed that the three of you are perverts."

I rubbed the back of my head, I couldn't really deny that.

I mean, being interested in girls and oppai is normal for youthful guys, you know?

It shouldn't be something that is abnormal, you know?

I realized that there was an awkward silence. And I was stumped. With Matsuda and Motohama, I could just start the talk with girls or eroge that I recently played as a topic. But I don't know anything about this guy to start a conversation!

Then I noticed the black book in his hand. The same one he had been reading before.

"What's that book?" I pointed at the book.

Kamael-san smiled at my question, seemingly happy at my interest. ...I felt a bit guilty because I just asked him because I don't have any other topic.

"It is a Bible, Hyoudou-san," He said as he showed it to me.

I checked the cover. It looked different from the one I saw in my childhood friend's house. Let's see... if I remember, a Bible is the holy book of a Christian, right?

"Are you a Christian, Kamael-san?"

I seemed to have asked the wrong thing as Kamael-san showed a strange expression. As if he could not choose between offended or amused.

"I... believe in the God of the Bible, yes. However, I am not a Christian, nor do I belong to any Church."

I blinked, so he was not a Christian? Does that mean there are other religions who worship that God other than Christians? But since I don't want to be seen as noisy, I didn't press further.

The silence returned, and I started to wonder if I should just leave. But I thought that would be impolite, especially since Kamael-san had saved me from a brutal punishment from the kendo club girls.

Unable to take the silence anymore, I blurted out.

"Kamael-san, do you like boobs?"

Kamael-san stared at me with surprised expression. I soldiered on.

"I like boobs. I think they are filled with hope and dreams!"

That's true. That's what I honestly think.

Oppai is a wonderful thing! They are beautiful and sexy! It is a dream of mine to touch an oppai!

"I... do not have any opinion on them."

I deflated a bit hearing that. I had hoped that Kamael-san would share my interest in oppai.

"However," I perked up hearing that, "I believe that it is good that you are passionate about something."

I almost cried, Kamael-san is a kind guy! While it's a pity that he doesn't share my opinion about oppai, he didn't insult me like girls in our class and some of the guys.

In fact, maybe Kamael-san would realize the beauty of oppai if I told him about it?

Encouraged, I told Kamael-san about the tales of oppai of womankind.

About how they were beautiful. Their shapes and sizes may differ, but each are equally fascinating. I recalled the uncle who taught me about oppai as I continued my speech.

"...that's why I think oppai is wonderful."

I ended the story with that sentence, Kamael let out a small laugh.

"Hyoudou-san, you are quite interesting, aren't you?"

I didn't know how to react to that. I've been called pervert and idiot, but no one has called me interesting before.

"However, Hyoudou-san. While I am sure you have other tales to tell. The sun has set, we should end our conversation today and return to our dwellings."

I blinked at the strange choice of words but nodded.

"Kamael-san, do you want to join Matsuda, Motohama and I for lunch tomorrow?"

"If your friends do not mind, then I shall intrude."

I grinned, taking that as a yes.

* * *

I was quite happy as I made my way home.

When Matsuda, Motohama and I were found by the girls from Kendo Club, I thought we would have another bad day. But the beating and lecture did not come. Instead, I met and was saved by a new friend.

Kamael-san listened to my stories about the wonder of Oppai and he didn't insult me! Even Matsuda and Motohama would make fun of me when I ranted about Oppai sometimes, though we did so without any bad feelings between us. I wonder if I was too rude and he was just being polite...

...I have to ask him tomorrow. Kamael-san seemed like a good person, so hanging out with me might trouble him.

I'm not proud about it, but I don't exactly have many friends. Neither does Matsuda and Motohama. Most of our classmates were scared away by rumors about our exploits.

Most of the rumors were exaggerated stories about our 'adventures'. But some of them actually happened, like that one time we tried to peek at the swimming club but was caught and thrown to the pool. And that time when we brought eroges to school, the eroges were confiscated and we got lectured and was told to stand at the hall until the class was over..

Wasn't that too much? I get the lecture, but why did sensei took away my eroge?!

"Excuse me."

No way, could it be…

"Hello?"

Sensei wanted to play the eroge too?! No way, could it be that sensei is a pervert?

"Excuse me!"

I was snapped out of my thoughts by the sudden yell. A beautiful girl stood in front of me.

The uniform she wore wasn't from our school, it was like one of those high-class girl school with red blazer and black skirt. There was a gold 'P' embroidered on the blazer, maybe the name of her school?

She seemed to be about my age. But her beauty far surpassed my classmates. Her long black hair seemed to gloss under the sun, her violet eyes and the faint blush on her cheeks gave her a cute, shy girl impression.

In short, she was a beautiful girl, a bishoujo!

I blinked. Wait a second…

A bishoujo? A real life bishoujo? Talking to me?

"Y-Yes?"

Damn it! I stuttered, that was not cool! But this is the first time, I'm talking to a bishoujo like this! You can't blame me for being nervous, right? Everyone would act like this when faced by such a beautiful girl!

She took a deep breath before speaking.

"A-Are you Hyoudou Issei-san?"

How did she know my name? Did rumors of me spread to other school already? Was she going to condemn me as a pervert? Did I somehow offend her or peek at someone she knew?

"Yes, I am. Um… who might you be?"

...I slipped into polite speech before I knew it. Damn it! Bishoujos are powerful!

"My name is Amano Yuuma," She answered with a bow. "I have something to ask of you…"

Then she stared at me with a cute upturned eyes, her blush deepening.

...so cute… I want to hug her...

No, no! Bad Issei! I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

"What is it, Amano-san?"

I tried to ask her politely. Inside, I was dreading the answer. What could the bishoujo want of me? Someone who is only famous because of perversity?

She opened her mouth to answer, and I braced myself.

"P-Please go out with me!"

Nothing in the world could prepare me for that.

"...pardon?"

What did she just say? A confession? No way, that couldn't be it, right? There's no way that a bishoujo would appear in front of me, with the setting sun and all that convenient romantic background then confess her love to me.

Amano-san seemed to be puzzled by my reaction, then she spoke again, louder this time.

"Please go out with me!"

Again, and this time, I heard it clearly. My heart began to thump loudly as I tried to process that sentence.

This was a confession, right? It couldn't be mistaken with other kind of request, right?

My body shook, seriously? I am seriously being confessed by a bishoujo?

There was an urge, no, a massive urge to cheer welling up within me. I regrettably crushed that urge. She would think I'm strange if I suddenly shouted now.

As I was too caught up in my thoughts to answer, Amano-san's lips began to tremble.

"...you don't want to?"

"I want to!" I shouted, "No, in fact, please allow me to go out with you!"

She nodded cutely when she heard my response. Then she covered her face, perhaps to hide her embarrassment.

I could feel a flutter in my stomach. Could it be, that my Springtime of Youth has come?

Father, Mother, I, Hyoudou Issei am grateful for being born!

* * *

Humans.

Such fascinating creatures.

Their lights, their lives were small compared to us, yet they managed to accomplish more than any of us ever did in thousands years. Unlike us, they were free to act upon their desire, their curiosity. And they have given birth to new innovations using what they have learned by harness the Laws of the World.

The last time I descended to this world was back when I hunted down the Serpent. At that time, humans were still scattered, none knew of the others' existence. The humans who were created by the Lord, the humans who were created by the Pagan Gods, and the humans who remained untouched by the influence of Gods.

And now, they were able to contact one another from across the world, helping one another, speaking to one another.

To think, that Lucifer once said that they were nothing but transient guests in this world. That their short lives would lead them to their doom before they would place their marks on the world.

Looking at the world, I could not help but marvel at the beauty, at the efforts that humans had given to create it.

With the tools and knowledge that the Watchers had given them, they changed the world. It was but a minor pity that it limited our influence to the world. That they would lose their faith in the Lord with each new knowledge they gained.

In some ways, I could understand the reason why the Watchers fell, why they would turn away from the Lord in their fascination of humanity.

No, I should not be carried away. My mission remained unchanged.

"...the Red Dragon Emperor, eh?"

Such an interesting human. From within the Fourth Heaven, I watched many humans fell to the temptation of the Red Dragon's strength. Yet, this human remained unchanged despite the being sealed in him. His power did not manifest, he did not share the pride and lust for battle that most Dragons possess.

He did not wish for power, he had no need for power. Unlike many others, who would squander the Gift given by the Lord by throwing away their humanity for power.

He was different. The purity of his soul, the vigor he displayed, the conviction in his voice, the sheer potential in him…

But of course, the darkness would attempt to taint him, to convert him into their own.

I would never allow such thing to happen.

"The Devils will never touch Hyoudou Issei as long as I, Kamael, exist."

* * *

I screamed to the Heaven from the rooftop of Kuoh Academy.

Yes, this lunchtime the school has gave us shall be used by me, shouting my appreciation to the world!

"The world is beautiful!"

Matsuda, Motohama and Kamael-san blinked at the same time after hearing my words. ...I didn't expect that, I thought people only do that in anime or manga.

"Hey, Ise broke," Motohama pretended to whisper to Matsuda.

What's that supposed to mean?! How did he reach that conclusion just from me declaring the beauty of the world?

But! I won't be discouraged! Unlike those two perverts, I, Hyoudou Issei, has changed.

I have evolved! I am now a Riajuu, someone who actually enjoys life!

Yes! For I have met Yuuma-chan!

I grinned happily as I thought about her, how we met and her confession.

"Ise, want us to call the hospital?" Matsuda asked me with a laugh.

Hmph! You guys can only act like that because you have not realized it yet!

"Tremble in fear, Matsuda, Motohama!"

I waved my arm like one of those cool Demon Kings in RPG.

"For I, Hyoudou Issei, am no longer single! I, now, have a _**girlfriend!**_ "

I declared thus, and it was the truth.

"...right, let's haul him to the hospital."

That hurts! Matsuda! Those eyes filled with concern hurts!

And Motohama! Why are you taking out your phone and dialing 119!

"Hyoudou-san," Kamael called me out, "Perhaps you should regale us with your tale. How exactly did you meet your girlfriend? I do not believe you mentioned her yesterday."

I smiled as I thought about my meeting with Yuuma-chan.

I don't really remember what I said to them since I was so happy, but by the end of it. Matsuda and Motohama demanded that I prove Yuuma-chan's existence to them.

On the other hand, Kamael-san seemed to be deep in thought.

"If you guys want to see Yuuma-chan, then I'll introduce you guys to her. She said she'll wait for me outside the academy after school is over."

Matsuda and Motohama agreed. Saying things such as breaking my illusion. What are you guys? Kamijou Touma?

"My apologies, I will not be able to go with you. I was told to speak with the Student Council President after classes are over."

Kamael-san seemed to be annoyed when he mentioned that. But I guess no student would want to be called by Shitori Sona-san who is famous for being strict.

* * *

After school was over screams full of despair came from my two friends.

"No way! How come a beauty like her is going out with Ise?! I can't believe it!"

"Impossible! There must be some kind of SYSTEM_ERROR! Issei! Don't tell me you used some kind of CODE_SCAN or ILLEGAL_HACKING to THE_WORLD?!"

Serves you right! Watch in despair as I ascended beyond you guys and become a Riajuu!

* * *

This is it.

I opened my eyes wide and rushed out of the bed and dashed into the bathroom.

I have brushed my teeth for dozens of time since yesterday night, but I couldn't be too careful and brushed it once again. Making sure that I did not miss any teeth.

Picking my best clothes, I checked my plans for today's date. Written on my notebook was a list of shops and restaurants that Yuuma-chan and I could visit, the routes that we can take to reach it and some suggestions from Matsuda, Motohama and Kamael-san about what kind of presents should I give to Yuuma-chan.

Matsuda suggested to buy Yuuma-chan some goth loli outfit. As expected from a self-proclaimed lolicon. ...I lost myself for a moment as I imagined Yuuma-chan in that kind of outfit. Frilly black dress swinging as she twirled…

Motohama's suggestion was… glasses and mature women clothes? ...I imagined Yuuma-chan being a teacher. Scolding me as I answered her question wrong and then praising me when I answered correctly…

And lastly, Kamael-san suggested… a Bible? I blinked. He did say that he believed in God, but he said he wasn't a Christian. I shrugged, before suddenly a thought struck me. Maybe Kamael-san is giving this as a clue? A sister uniform for Yuuma-chan… With her shy and cute attitude, a sister uniform would suit her…

Ahh! I can't choose!

Then I realized what time it was. And I rushed out of my room, running towards the place where we promised to meet. Like a virgin guy, I arrived three hours earlier than the planned time.

I guess I shouldn't have come here too early, I muttered to myself as I was given an occult looking thing with a red circular symbol filled with strange words and shapes. Since I was afraid that Yuuma-chan would think I was strange if she saw me holding this occult symbol, I threw it away.

At the promised time, Yuuma-chan arrived.

"Sorry, did I make you wait?"

She asked with an embarrassed smile.

I grinned, I've been waiting for this moment!

"Don't worry, I also just got here."

There it was! The sentence that I have waited for years to say! That sentence would be yet another mark in the birth of a new Hyoudou Issei!

With that, our first date began. I was nervous at first, but when Yuuma-chan grabbed my hand with hers, my nervousness faded away, replaced by happiness.

I, Hyoudou Issei, is now on a date with a beautiful girl! Our hands are linked together!

As we visited the stores around us, I made a mental note of things that Yuuma-chan showed interest in. Motohama told me that I should buy things she is interested in as a surprise present, it would make her happy. He said he learned that from eroge.

I grinned, that is Ero-Megane, the Perverted Glasses for you. His experience in 2D is deep.

By the time lunch came, I had a list of several presents, one of them, a huge teddy bear seemed to be a good choice for a Christmas present. Even though it was still far away, I resolved myself to buy it for her in the future.

After that, we went to a cafe for lunch. Yuuma-chan ordered a chocolate parfait, and I could feel my hunger disappearing just by watching her eating the parfait.

The sparkle of happiness and smile that she had as she tasted the parfait was heavenly. And for the first time in my life, I actually felt alive for the first time.

That happiness, I wanted to treasure it and protect it forever…

Without us noticing, the sky was getting dark and the two of us were alone at the park away from the town.

Our date was nearing its end. And my nervousness returned.

Should I offer her a goodbye kiss? Should I ask her for another date?

As thoughts ran through my head, Yuuma-chan spoke as she turned towards me.

"It was fun today."

Her smile was radiant.

I nodded, not trusting my mouth to speak before her. The sight of her being illuminated by the setting sun was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"Hey, Ise-kun."

Her cute smile remained as her eyes met mine.

"What is it, Yuuma-chan?"

My heart was pounding.

"There is something I want to do to celebrate our first date."

The pounding of my heart intensified. My imagination immediately went to a kiss. A real kiss to the mouth.

"Um, what is it that you want?"

I tried to keep my anticipation hidden, but my feelings must be visible to her as her smile seemed to widen.

"Will you die for me?"

Umm... Huh?

What? What did she say?

"Umm… sorry, Yuuma-chan, I must have heard wrong. Could you repeat it again?"

There was no way that she sai-

"Will you die for me?"

This time, she let out a giggle as she asked me once again.

As I tried to process that 'request', something happened before my eyes.

A pair of black wings appeared from Yuuma-chan's back. Her smile that was beautiful now looked eerie.

I… couldn't believe my eyes. I did call her beauty heavenly but… those wings… is she an Angel? A real Angel?

"Honestly, that was the most boring date I've ever experienced. It was like playing house with a little child," Her voice changed, it was not the sweet voice I had grown used to, it was a cold and cruel mature voice.

A buzzing noise could be heard as something appeared in her hand, a spear, a light spear that defied common sense and reality.

I still could not understand. I did not want to understand.

"Sorry, Ise-kun. You are a threat to us, so we decided to get rid of you early. If you want to hold a grudge, then blame God for putting a Sacred Gear inside you."

With those words that was incomprehensible to me, she threw the spear.

* * *

 **In case some of you missed it, I will repeat the warning.  
**

 **Warning, this story contains religious and mythological elements. The author does not mean any disrespect to the mentioned religious views.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD.**

 **Warning, this story contains religious and mythological elements. The author does not mean any disrespect to the mentioned religious views.  
**

 **Thanks to Wrathie Winsre for the cover image!**

 **I'll be replying to Guests Reviewers here since they can't be PM'd.**

 **dragon rider: Thanks. And well... yeah, I guess a lot of people would expect that, the main theme of this story is Friendship though, unlike the canon. I still have no plan for the romance. ...well, about references... well... you'll see in this chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **The Boy and The Angel**

* * *

"Unexpected."

A few days ago, I heard from Hyoudou Issei that a young woman had approached him. At that time, I had believed her to be a Devil, thus I advised Hyoudou Issei to give her a Bible as a gift. If she was one of them, then she should show some reaction.

I had planned to interfere once the young woman displays her true face, thus I followed Hyoudou Issei today.

When I saw her, I knew that I was half-correct. While she was not a human, she was a Fallen Angel, and not a Devil. Her black wings showed that. Those wings that was dyed black by their sins.

I heard reports that Azazel had been recruiting Sacred Gear wielders, I assumed that she was a member of Grigori.

If she was one of Azazel's, then there should be no threat to Hyoudou Issei's life. Azazel's interest in Sacred Gears ensured Issei's safety. All I must do is warn Azazel that he should not approach Hyoudou Issei and this should be resolved.

I was mistaken.

The Fallen Angel now stood before Hyoudou Issei, a light spear in her hand.

Such sacrilege...

To use one of the Lord's gift to assault a human is unforgivable.

His Law had been broken,

"It is time to work for the Lord."

Before she could throw the spear of light towards Hyoudou Issei, I moved.

Linebreak

...I have no idea what is happening right now.

I, Hyoudou Issei, a normal high school boy thought as I saw another winged person, this time with white wings. standing in front of me with the spear caught in his hand.

"Hyoudou-san, are you unharmed?"

That voice seemed familiar, and the way the winged person called me sounds like...

He turned his head towards me and my guess was confirmed.

It was Kamael-san, the transfer student.

I opened my mouth to ask what is happening but he spoke before me.

"Please wait for a moment. Now is not the time for questions. We will talk once I am done."

Done? With what?

"An Angel?" I heard Yuuma shout in surprise. "Why is an Angel here?"

Kamael-san threw away the spear, "I can ask the same to you, Fallen. Are you one of Lucifer's? I didn't realize that you still exist."

Yuuma had a disgusted face hearing Kamael-san's words, "I am not one of them, you fool! I am Raynare of Grigori!"

"...a member of Grigori?" from Kamael-san's voice, he seemed surprised, "That is impossible. Azazel would never allow you to kill a Sacred Gear wielder."

'Yuuma', no, Raynare glowered, "What would an Angel like you know about Azazel-sama? The Sacred Gear within Hyoudou Issei may become a threat to Grigori, Azazel-sama will agree with me."

"...you are delusional. Azazel's interest in Sacred Gear ensures the safety of all Sacred Gear wielders. I had met several members of Grigori who protected humans from Devils."

"They are fools," Raynare declared, "If we keep allowing humans join Grigori, one day they will betray us. I will not let that happen."

"As I said..." Kamael-san opened his hand, and a sword made of light, similar to the one that Raynare had, appeared, "...Delusional."

Raynare 'created' another spear of light to be thrown, but before she could release the spear, Kamael-san's sword had stabbed her.

My eyes widened seeing Raynare's face contort in pain as blood poured from the stab wound.

"From the strength of your light spear and your speed, it appears that you were an Ishim before you fell," Kamael-san pulled the sword and swung it towards Raynare's head. I shut my eyes, not wanting to see 'Yuuma' beheaded in front of me.

"You..." I heard Raynare's voice and opened my eyes, she was flying while clutching the wound in her stomach, "Who are you?!"

"Power."

To me, it was just a single word, a word that meant 'strength' or 'power', but to Raynare, that word seemed to mean something as her eyes widened in fear.

"Why is one of them here?" She muttered while trembling, "They are supposed to be in Heaven, they aren't supposed to be in this world..."

Kamael-san turned his head towards me and then back to Raynare. "It seems that Hyoudou-san is quite shaken. I do not believe showing your death would benefit Hyoudou-san's sanity. You may leave this time."

Hearing that, I realized that I was shivering, out of confusion and fear. I felt as if I was seeing something that is alien, something that I shouldn't have seen.

Raynare gritted her teeth as she clutched her stomach, "...you Angels... so arrogant... acting like you guys are better than us just because you're holy... remember this! I will make you pay for this humiliation!"

"If I ever see you again, you will die, Fallen," Kamael-san shot back as Raynare flew away.

* * *

I opened my eyes and saw the ceiling of my bedroom.

"...was it all a dream?"

I wondered. I turned my head to the side and saw the date. It was the day after my date with Yuuma.

Did she really turn into a 'Fallen Angel' and tried to kill me? Was Kamael-san really an 'Angel'?

I didn't know. My last memories were Kamael-san telling me to go back home and rest, he promised that he would explain it to me today.

I rose from the bed, part of me hoping that the events yesterday was just a dream, that Yuuma was just a normal girl.

* * *

Matsuda and Motohama didn't remember Yuuma.

They said I never had a girlfriend, that they never saw her. But that's impossible! They met her, they even gave me advices for the date...

They said that I must have been dreaming.

Were they right? Was it all just a dream? Does Yuuma really exist?

When the school bell rang, signaling the lunch break, Kamael-san approached me.

"Hyoudou-san," He greeted me.

"Kamael-san, about yesterday..."

"Can we move somewhere more private? I would prefer if we can talk without anyone listening in."

I nodded and rose from my seat, thinking that we might be able to talk on the rooftop.

I wonder why the girls around us are blushing and sneaking glances at me and Kamael-san though.

"I-Issei… don't tell me that you've defected to that side?"

"Seriously? Has the pain of being called pervert and ignored by girls broke Issei? To think that he would swing that way…"

...what are you guys talking about?

* * *

"And now..." Kamael-san turned towards me as we stand on the roof of Kuoh Academy. His face did not show any expression, "...perhaps you have some questions, Hyoudou-san?"

"Yesterday really happened, right? Yuuma-chan is real, right?!"

Kamael-san approaching me means that the 'date' yesterday wasn't just a dream, right?

Kamael-san nodded, "I believe that you are confused because your friends do not recall anything concerning Amano Yuuma. Fortunately, or unfortunately, 'Amano Yuuma' does exist, though it is not her real name."

Questions flew through my head, such as, who was 'Yuuma', why did she try to kill me, who are you, why did you save me, what was that light weapons and wings, what was Grigori, Sacred Gear...

But I think the one that I wanted to be answered the most was...

"...so... what the heck happened yesterday?!"

I shouted, though, I didn't know whether I shouted that at Kamael-san or at the world that had gone insane.

Unfazed by my outburst, Kamael-san answered.

"Hyoudou-san, you were about to be murdered by a Fallen Angel. Thus, I intervened."

...well, yeah. I get that but...

"What are you? What do you mean by Fallen Angel?"

The 'boy' in front of me frowned, he seemed to be thinking about how he is going to answer my question.

"...first of all, I will inform you that supernatural beings such as Angels, Devils, Pagan Gods, Youkai and other beings like them exist. They are 'real'."

...if it was any other day, I would ask if Kamael-san is sane. But after what happened yesterday...

"Though she introduced herself to you as Amano Yuuma, she is, in truth, Raynare, a Fallen Angel. An Angel who is banished from Heaven because she broke one of the Lord's Law."

"So Yuuma-chan was..."

"Yes," Kamael nodded, "A supernatural being. I am one of them as well. To be more exact, I am an Angel."

"You and Yuuma-chan are like the ones in the Bible?" I remembered my childhood friend, Shidou telling me about how cool Angels are, that they are heroes of justice.

"It would be more appropriate to say that I am one of the Angel from the Bible. I will explain more about Angels later on. For now, allow me to explain why she tried to kill you."

...that's right. Yuuma-chan tried to kill me because of something. She approached me to kill me.

...hahaha... that's depressing... My first girlfriend asked me out to kill me.

"She said something about Sacred Gear, I think."

I don't think that it's possible for me to forget anything from yesterday.

"Correct. A Sacred Gear is an artifact created by the Lord, the God who created me. Are you familiar with the concept of miracles?"

Miracles? Ah, Shidou mentioned that guy who caused miracles to happen like reviving the dead or exorcising demons.

"You mean like that Jesus Christ guy from the Bible?"

Kamael-san showed a conflicted expression hearing that. It is the same expression as the one he had when I asked if he was a Christian.

"...yes, I suppose Yeshua would be a good example. One of Yeshua's miracle was healing the sick, one of the most well-known Sacred Gear is named [Twilight Healing] - The Smile of the Holy Mother, it possess a similar, but weaker, ability."

"[Twilight Healing] has the capability to heal the wounded, though it cannot regenerate lost limbs, erase exhaustion, or cure sickness."

"Sacred Gears are part of the Lord's System. A System that enacts miracles on Earth. There were humans with Sacred Gears who grew strong and influential thanks to their Sacred Gears, in fact, several heroes from the past were Sacred Gear users. One example would be Amakusa Shirou Tokisada of Japan."

...that name seems familiar... "The guy from Samurai Spirits?"

Kamael-san blinked hearing my reply.

"...I suppose?"

There was an awkward silence as I wondered if I should apologize for ruining the atmosphere.

"...I shall continue, during the seventeenth century, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada led a rebellion in Shimabara, he was stated to be capable of invoking miracles and was considered as a messenger from Heaven. Though he failed the rebellion, the fact that a fifteen years old boy managed to raise an army and rebelled against the Shogunate is a 'miracle'."

...wow, so that actually happened in the past? I wonder if I should start paying attention in history lesson...

"But I digress, let us return to your situation, Hyoudou-san. As you might have guessed, you possess a Sacred Gear."

Even considering what happened yesterday, I could not help but feel excited hearing that. I have a special power, what kid never dreamed of having a special power and shouting their special moves as they do cool poses?

"What kind of Sacred Gear do I have? Do you think I can do cool moves with them?"

I asked with enthusiasm.

"...perhaps we should talk about Sacred Gears later. For now, I have explained about Sacred Gears, but a question might still haunt you, why did she try to kill you simply because you possess a Sacred Gear?"

I deflated a bit hearing that. I'd rather not talk about yesterday but I guess we have no choice...

"First of all, I shall explain about Grigori, since that Fallen, Raynare claimed that she is one of them."

"Grigori, refers to a group of Fallen Angels who fell from Heaven because of their lust. In the past, they were researchers, scholars, a gathering of eccentric Angels who loved to invent many kind of devices, regardless of its actual usability."

"One day, Azazel, who they look up as a leader, spoke to the others..." Kamael-san took a deep breath as he seemed to brace himself for humiliation, "Hey, don't you think the women in human world are sexy? I think I'm... 'Falling' for them."

I didn't expect that at all. Kamael-san sounded like someone else, I don't know why but I pictured a dandy perverted man who has a harem when I heard that voice.

Kamael-san sighed and his face became expressionless again, though I think I saw a hint of a embarrassment there.

"...regardless of how terrible Azazel's joke was, soon, it was apparent that he was not joking. The Grigori 'defected' en masse and descended to the human world. In exchange for a chance to study and mate with humans, they taught humanity many things, ranging from the knowledge to read the stars, to create writing utensils, and even the art of warfare and deceit."

"Why are they trying to kill me?" All I get from the story is that their boss is a pervert and they are some kind of mad scientists.

"In my opinion, Azazel and most of the Grigori would rather recruit you and would never think of harming you outside of experiments."

...I think I will ignore that dangerous last part of Kamael-san's answer.

"I believe that the Fallen Angel, Raynare acted on her own discretion. She seemed to believe that humans are threat to the Grigori. I know not what fuels her belief, but Azazel had nothing to do with this."

"How can you be so sure, Kamael-san?"

I mean, from what Kamael-san said, the Grigori betrayed Kamael-san and the other Angels, right? Though I kinda understand the Grigori's feelings if they fell because of girls.

But the Azazel guy might change his mind, right?

"Because I asked him," Kamael-san said that so casually!

No wait, aren't you guys supposed to be enemies? You guys are Angels and Fallen Angels, right? Yuuma seemed to hate you so much, how can you say that you talked with her boss that easily?

"We are friends."

No wait, that doesn't answer anything!

"Once you meet Azazel personally, you will understand, Hyoudou-san. Azazel can be insane at times, but he has a strange charisma that makes people befriend him easily."

...I decided that asking more questions won't really do anything.

"And now that I have explained the reason why that Fallen tried to kill you, I will ask you a question, Hyoudou-san."

"What is it, Kamael-san?"

"Would you like to awaken your Sacred Gear? At the very least, it would ensure that you have a way to defend yourself if that Fallen or other beings try to attack you."

Hearing that, I smiled.

Cool poses here I come!

Unfortunately, the bell signalling the end of the lunch break rang. Kamael-san told me that we would awaken my Sacred Gear after school

* * *

...well, that was the plan.

But after classes were over, Matsuda and Motohama approached me and offered to hang out together at the Manga Cafe in the town.

When I looked at Kamael-san, since we planned to awaken my Sacred Gear, Matsuda and Motohama misunderstood and asked Kamael-san to join us.

Kamael-san seemed puzzled but he agreed to them. ...no, wait, "is this really alright? Isn't my life in danger without my Sacred Gear?" I whispered to him.

"Do not worry, I will protect you."

No, Kamael-san, for both our sakes, please don't say a something like that out loud…

Looking at Matsuda and Motohama's pale face and worried glances, I can only imagine how they interpreted that line.

And so, it was decided that we would go to the Manga Cafe.

* * *

"Oh!" I was impressed. They seem to have updated their collection, there are a lot of new mangas here.

"Hyoudou-san," Kamael-san called me and I turned my head to the direction of his voice.

He was staring at the racks of books with a look of confusion and fascination. "What are these books?"

"Well… they are mangas," Seeing his confusion remained, I tried to put it in another terms, "Comic books? Picture books? Stories?"

Kamael seemed to understand what I meant and he nodded, "And for what purpose do they serve? What kind of lesson would one gain from the stories in these books?"

...Kamael-san, have you ever read for fun?

Matsuda who happened to pass by overheard our conversation, he looked at Kamael with pity, "You must've been raised in a strict family, Potestasu-san."

"It's Potestas, should you find it difficult to say it, Kamael is fine," Kamael-san corrected.

Matsuda nodded, "Anyway, here," He handed Kamael a book, it was Hellsing. A manga with…

...did Matsuda seriously handed an Angel a book with a vampire working for Christian Protestants as a main character and the Vatican Church as antagonists? With Nazis?

Kamael-san seemed bemused as he examined the book, then he opened it.

"...umm, Kamael-san?" I called out to him.

The Angel turned his head towards me, "What is it, Hyoudou-san?"

"Maybe you should read some other books first…"

I was about to offer him Dragon Ball but he shook his head.

"Matsuda-san has given me this book. There must be a reason why he handed me this book out of the many possibilities. I shall read it."

...Kamael-san is a bit strange, I concluded, but I said nothing as I don't want to disturb his reading.

I picked up a book of Ratman. A story of a boy who aspired to be a Hero but was tricked into joining an Evil Organization instead. The so-called Evil Organization isn't actually evil though, and he acted like a Hero a lot more than the 'real' ones.

...as I read the manga, I wished that my Sacred Gear would allow me to be like Ratm*n and the Tokusatsu Heroes like Kamen Rider or Super Sentai.

Unexpectedly, Kamael-san seemed to enjoy the manga as he finished one volume quite quickly and picked up another.

Maybe he had some kind of super brain because he is an Angel? That would explain the speed of his reading.

"Oi, Ise. Check this out," Motohama showed me the manga he is reading.

It was an ero-doujin. A manga created by fans of a series with 18+ theme that should not even be here in this cafe. Did Motohama bring it from his house?

"Motohama, what are you doing?"

How could he bring such a thing to this Manga cafe?!

Unforgivable! Let me read it too, you bastard!

* * *

"Matsuda-san," I greeted the human, he seemed surprised by my greeting and fumbled to hide the book he was reading.

...how strange? What was he reading?

Regardless, I have something to discuss with him, "The book you gave me is quite enlightening. I did not realize that there are people who saw us in those lights."

Matsuda-san seemed surprised by my words. "You're a Christian, Kamael-san?"

I shook my head, he asked the same question as Hyoudou Issei, but I suppose that it would be expected, the people of this land were mostly exposed to the Lord's words through Christian missionaries after all.

"I am not, I simply believe in the same God as them," I answered.

He did not seem to understand but nodded, "Well, I gave you Hellsing because I like it, if you don't like it because of your religion, then that's fine."

I shook my head, it seemed that he misunderstood me.

"On the contrary, I find the book to be great. In particular, the priest, Alexander Anderson fascinates me. He acts in accordance to his own code of honor, he is strong in both body and spirit. Even during his moment of death, he comforts his archenemy and remind his children to live piously."

Matsuda-san nodded, "Yeah, Anderson-san is cool, but I like Alucard the most. He is badass!"

As I was about to answer, I noticed Hyoudou Issei and Motohama-san approaching us.

"What are you guys talking about?" Motohama-san questioned us.

"Is it about Hellsing?" Hyoudou Issei asked us. Hearing that, Motohama-san grinned.

"If it's about Hirano Kouta's masterpiece, count me in. My favorite character is certainly, Seras Victoria!"

"That's just because she's a girl, right?!" Matsuda-san protested, "If it's any other series, I'll pick Seras as my favorite too, but this is Hellsing! You're supposed to pick a badass character! And you call yourself a fan?!"

"Are you saying that she isn't a badass?!" Motohama-san roared as he and Matsuda-san argued.

Hyoudou Issei shook his head and added a few comments of his own about the book. After a while, they asked for my contribution and I did so, escalating the arguments even further and causing us to be kicked out of the cafe.

But it was… fun.

* * *

...this is embarrassing!

I know I said that I wanted to do some cool poses, but this is too much!

Kamael-san took me to a park near the edge of the town, and then…

"Hyoudou-san, do you have someone you consider as a symbol of might and power?"

It took me a moment to process that question, seriously, why does Kamael-san use confusing words?

"Strong… like Son Goku from Dragon Ball?"

Of course, when talking about strength, it is without a doubt, Goku-san! Goku-san is the strongest being in the universe and he is a hero!

Kamael-san titled his head, could it be… he never watched Dragon Ball? Is he really from Heaven? How can he not know one of the greatest series ever created?! No wait, Kamael-san did act like he had no idea what a manga is back at the Manga Cafe. ...how sad… I'll have to introduce more manga to him when we're free.

"...as long as you consider him powerful, there should be no problem. Now, can you imagine the moment when he is at his strongest? Pose, words, anything."

That would be… Kamehameha, right? I nodded.

"Do it."

Eh?

"Do the same thing as the person you consider strongest did. With all your feelings, with all your spirit."

"...no, no, no, wait a second, Kamael-san…"

I had to stop him. Is this Angel seriously asking me to...

"What is it?"

"Are you asking me to do a Kamehameha? At this age? In public?"

Kamael-san seemed puzzled, but nodded. "Yes, is there a problem?"

There are so many problems that I don't know where to start!

As much as I would like to tsukkomi that, I doubt Kamael-san knew the humiliation that comes from doing Kamehameha in public.

Still, I needed to convey to him that there IS a problem, so I nodded my head rapidly.

"Unfortunately, this is the fastest method you can have to awaken your Sacred Gear. You need a strong feelings, feelings that allows you to believe that you can do anything. Do you not wish to awaken your Sacred Gear?"

...uwaa…

Do Kamehameha in public and get a superpower or…

Don't do Kamehameha and don't get a superpower…

I have no choice…

Feeling as if something died in me and knowing that I would consider this moment as the darkest past of Hyoudou Issei's life, I cupped my hands in front of me.

"Ka…"

...I could feel myself blushing as my mind once again reminded me what I'm about to do.

I'm about to reenact a fictional character's fictional superpowered attack to get a superpower of my own, in public.

"Me…"

I moved my hands, still cupped, to the side of my stomach.

"Ha…"

If this was a real Kamehameha, the ki I am gathering in my hand should grow larger right now.

Unfortunately, I don't think reality works like that. So what I'm doing is just muttering words while posing like Goku-san.

...this is kinda humiliating… It seems like one of those things that someone has to do because they were picked in a King's Game or picked Dare in Truth or Dare.

"Me…"

As I'm doing this, I started to recall back when Shidou and I played together, we would pose and pretend to fight each other.

That helped to ease my embarrassment a bit...

"Ha!"

I shouted with all my might!

…

There was a silence as nothing seemed to happen.

Uwoo! This is embarrassing! Humiliating! I'm doing a Kamehameha in public in front of a friend who didn't even know what Dragon Ball is and nothing happened! I want to dig a hole and hide there until my hairs are white!

But then, my left arm began to glow.

Wait… I thought I'm doing Kamehameha, why did it turn into God Finger instead?

"Congratulations, Hyoudou-san," Kamael-san praised me as my left arm shone even brighter. "Though I was quite worried when I saw the strange dance you performed, it would appear that you have succeed."

It wasn't a strange dance! That was Kamehameha! A great technique used by great men! Apologize Kamael-san! Apologize to all D*ag*n B*ll fans in the world!

As I was about to voice my displeasure, the glow disappeared, revealing a red gauntlet with a green jewel embedded on it.

I grinned as I examined it. It looked very flashy and cool, kinda like the Henshin device that Kamen Riders and Super Sentai would use. If Shidou was around, I would show this off and declared myself a real Tokusatsu Hero.

"...this is cool!" I voiced my feelings as I turned towards Kamael-san, planning to thank him for this. But then I stopped.

His face showed confusion as he looked at my gauntlet, my Sacred Gear.

Kamael-san began to mutter.

"...this is strange… Hyoudou Issei's Sacred Gear is supposed to be the [Boosted Gear]. Why does a [Twice Critical] appear instead?"

[Boosted Gear]? [Twice Critical]? Are those Sacred Gear names?

Then Kamael-san shook his head and nodded to himself, "Either way, it is good that you have awaken your Sacred Gear. My question to you now is… would you like to learn how to use it?"

* * *

...Kamael-san was cruel…

 _"...Hyoudou-san, I believe in the potential within humanity. That they are able to survive, adapt and grow when they are faced with trials and tribulations. Do you agree?"_

 _Honestly, I didn't know what Kamael-san meant, so I just nodded._

 _"That is good. Hyoudou-san, a Sacred Gear is 'part' of you, and just like other parts of your body, it would react to a certain stimuli. I am sure that you have figured out what stimuli I am speaking about, Hyoudou-san."_

 _...well… if this sinking feeling that I am having is any indication then…_

 _"Please survive, Hyoudou-san. It would be a shame for your light to be extinguished this soon."_

 _Then Kamael-san started to attack me, not a single trace of hesitation or mercy on his face._

...well, thanks to that, I managed to learn how to use my Sacred Gear though.

My Sacred Gear, [Twice Critical] allows me to double my power for a short time. It seemed good enough for me, but Kamael-san pointed out that twice of human's physical power is nothing compared to Angel or Devil.

Then he told me something strange.

 _"Your Sacred Gear has not fully awakened. Right now, I would say that it is half-awake. The Sacred Gear inside you should be the [Boosted Gear], a Sacred Gear with the capability of doubling your power until you reach your physical limits. "_

 _I asked him why it was half-awake._

 _"From what I know of the Sacred Gear System, there are two possible reasons. One is that the soul within the [Boosted Gear] is still in hibernation, the other is because you do not desire power."_

 _I would like to ask about the soul in Boosted Gear but my main concern is the other reason._

 _"I want power, Kamael-san, I mean, that's why I awaken it, right?"_

 _Kamael-san shook his head, "Not that kind of power. The power you seek now is the power to protect yourself, is it not? To ensure your survival? The [Boosted Gear] is a Dragon-type Sacred Gear. The powers that a Dragon will acknowledge is… 'The power to dominate your opponents.' and 'The power to protect your treasures.' Unless you have such desire, I do not believe your Sacred Gear will fully awaken."_

From what Kamael-san said, I get an impression that dragons are really selfish but.. somehow, I don't think that is what I need… There is something 'wrong' in Kamael-san's image of 'dragons'. I don't know what, but something in me believe that.

* * *

"That is what happened, do you have an explanation for this, Azazel?"

I questioned the Governor of Fallen Angel as I sat on the rooftop of Hyoudou Issei's house. A phone in my hand.

"...I see, then we are in agreement. It would appear that Hyoudou-san does not seek power. At the very least, he does not seek the same power as the previous Red Dragon Emperor."

Azazel affirmed my theory. That was enough for me. I trust Azazel's knowledge of Sacred Gears.

"That Ishim, Raynare, what should I do about her?"

Azazel gave his reply.

"So there are other strays? Your influence seem to weaken, Governor of Fallen Angels."

The Fallen sounded offended as he replied to my words.

"...understood. I suppose I will make use of the weapon you left me then."

There was a panicked reply from the phone. I chuckled as I took out a cylindrical object from my pocket. On its sides, there was a switch, one saying 'Light' and the other, 'Darkness'.

I nodded, "Yes, I still have it. After all, this weapon has helped me survive through countless battlefield. This Blazer Shin-"

...the line went dead. How unfortunate.

I returned my attention to the house below me.

"It seems that Hyoudou-san has fallen asleep."

That is good. Now I can speak with her without worrying him overhearing us.

I turned my head to the side to meet the gaze of the red-haired Devil.

"What do you want, Gremory?"

* * *

 **From this chapter, you might notice several terms you do not hear in DxD. That is because I will be using a lot more references to religions and mythologies in this story. I will be explaining some of them below (Mainly the ones that DxD don't have). But I might miss some of them, so feel free to ask me questions if you are puzzled by something or you find a term that I failed to explain.**

 **You can skip this part, of course. I will explain the terms in the story. But, the explanations will be given when the terms become relevant to the story. I am only explaining it here for people who are interested.**

 **Of course, if you can also google those terms, but of course, you might find conflicting explanations of the terms you searched.**

* * *

 **Lucifer's Fallen Angels: It is still unknown if the Lucifer in DxD was an Angel or not, but in this story, based on several references of Satan found in the Bible and other sources, I place Satan Lucifer as a Fallen Angel. Lucifer was formerly an Angel tasked to 'accuse' humans (See the Book of Job for more explanation).**

 **Lucifer Fell in the past, taking many Angels with him. After failing to defeat Michael several times (Book of Enoch, Book of Revelation), he chose to 'throw away' his weakness and transform himself into a Devil. Most of Lucifer's Fallen Angels stayed with him in the Underworld (Devil's Territory) or died during their war against Heaven.**

 **Kamael thought that Raynare is a leftover of Lucifer's legion.**

* * *

 **Ishim: Ishim, or Ashim, is a 'class' of Angels according to Jewish Angelic Hierarchy. Ishim is associated with Malkuth and they represent Angels who are 'closest' to humanity. They are mostly Guardian Angels. Raynare being called Ishim by Kamael is him considering her as weak.**

 **As for why he considers her to be weak...**

 **Power: Kamael is part of the Powers Choir. A 'class' of Angels according to Christian Angelic Hierarchy. Powers are warrior angels who are tasked to eliminate enemies of Heaven and maintain the distribution of power among humans.**

 **Now, some people might ask why Kamael called Raynare as 'Ishim' (Judaism Angel) but calls himself a 'Power' (Christianity Angel). Before you accuse me of being anti-Semitic (Because I used Jewish term to call Fallen Angel and use Christian term to call 'normal' Angel. I would like to state clearly:**

 **Kamael is an Angel of Judaism.  
**

 **For why he is calling himself with Christian 'term', I will explain how the Angelic Hierarchy in Deuteronomy works. (Next chapter, Kamael will explain it to Issei)**

 **When the Biblical God still exist in Heaven, the Angels used the Sephiroth System (The Tree of Life. In this story, the Jewish Angelic Hierarchy), separating them to ten classes associated with each Sephira (From the 'top', Hayyot Ha Kodesh, Ophanim, Erelim, Hashmallim, Seraphim, Malakim, Elohim, Bene Elohim, Cherubim, Ishim). Each of them have an 'Archangel' as their leader.**

 **But, when the Biblical God died, the forces of Heaven cannot maintain the System and had to migrate into a new System. The Choir System (AKA the Christian Angelic Hierarchy) that separates them into nine classes depending on their duty. Seraphim, Cherubim, Ophanim, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels, Angels. With each of them having a 'Chief' as their leader.**

 **You might note that I stated 'Archangel' and Archangels Choir. They are different. 'Archangel' is a 'Chief Angel' while Archangels Choir is the second Choir.**

 **Anyway, back to the topic.**

 **Kamael called Raynare 'Ishim' because she (And the Grigori) fell when they use Sephiroth System, so he had no idea where she would be placed if she is in Choirs System. While he introduced himself as a Power because he has been migrated to Powers Choir from his previous class in Sephiroth System.**

 **You don't really need to keep the Systems in mind for now. But it will be relevant in the (faraway) future.**

* * *

 **Right, that's all for the terms.  
**

 **And yes, I realize that for you who read the explanations above, it was quite an info dump. But the explanations can be helpful to recognize hints and foreshadowing in the story.**

 **Next Chapter's Title: Silver Sister**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD.**

 **Warning, this story contains religious and mythological elements. The author does not mean any disrespect to the mentioned religious views.  
**

 **Thanks to Wrathie Winsre for the cover image!**

 **I'll be replying to Guests Reviewers here since they can't be PM'd.**

 **dragon rider: A historical Saint from Japan. Samurai Spirits is a game that stars him as a character.**

 **Wizzrobe: Glad to hear that. Will try my best.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **The Silver Sister**

* * *

The day after I first activated my Sacred Gear, Kamael-san and I went up to the rooftop again.

"...yesterday, I have explained why that Fallen tried to kill you, Hyoudou-san. To ensure that you will not be completely lost while interacting with supernatural creatures, especially those that you might encounter in this town, I will explain about Angels, Devils and Fallen Angels."

I nodded to show that I was paying attention. Though I had to wonder why he didn't add creatures from Japan in that list. I decided to ask later.

"First, I ask you, Hyoudou-san, what do you know about Angels?"

...well… Even if he asked me that, I only know a bit about them from Shidou, manga and games.

"Well… Angels have wings and they are God's… assistants, right?"

I struggled to answer that, since I was about to say 'servants', but I thought it would offend Kamael-san.

"There is no need to hesitate," The Angel nodded when he saw my hesitation as I said 'assistants', "You can just call us, the Lord's servants. That is what we are. And I advise you to call the Lord, Biblical God for easier identification."

I nodded. Though it was a bit weird to call a God that. I wonder if Biblical God have a name, I decided to ask that.

"Kamael-san, does Biblical God have a name?"

Kamael-san's eyebrow rose hearing that, "The Lord have many names. Do you prefer to call the Lord with one of His name? I will warn you that many factions in Abrahamic Religion does not acknowledge some of the names, meaning that it might cause problems for you should you call the Lord by one of His names."

I shook my head. My life is already complicated enough without offending a religious group.

"Now then, let us start with the simplest question. What are Angels? As I have stated, we are the Lord's servants. We are created by the Lord, and we exist to act on the Lord's Will. Of course, that does not mean we are mindless machines. Each of us are unique, with our own quirks and personalities. However, there are some Angels who decided to abandon their identities to serve the Lord completely with their body and mind."

...that sounds a bit scary.

"During our creation, the Lord divided the Angels into ten categories, one for each Sephira."

"Sephira?" I had to ask as I was unfamiliar with that word.

Kamael-san thought for a moment, "I do not believe you need to learn about the Sephiroth today. Putting it simply, the Lord divided us into ten categories, with each of them having an 'Archangel' as its leader. Hayyot ha Kodesh, Ophanim, Erelim, Hashmallim, Seraphim, Malakim, Elohim, Bene Elohim, Cherubim, and Ishim."

Then I remembered how Kamael-san called Raynare when he fought her, "Kamael-san, you called Raynare Ishim, does that mean Raynare is an 'Ishim' Angel?"

He nodded, I think he is pleased that I remember that, but… "Around that time, you said you are a Power, what does that mean?"

Kamael-san nodded again, "The Sephiroth system is no longer used by us today. Because of certain… circumstances. Currently, we are using the Choir system. A system that divide Angels into nine categories. Seraphim, Cherubim, Ophanim, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels, and Angels. Each of the Choirs possess a 'Chief' as a leader. Using this system, I am assigned as part of Power Choir."

...now I'm confused.

"Kamael-san, you called Raynare 'Ishim', but you introduced yourself as 'Power', why is that?"

"As she is a member of Grigori, that meant she fell back when we used the Sephiroth system. I know not where she would be placed in the Choir System. Examining her combat capability, however, it appears she would be a member of Archangels Choir at most."

Combat capability?

"So Angels are divided based on their strength?" I questioned. That seemed militaristic, not exactly something that came to my mind when I heard 'God's Servants', but I guess those anime and games might be on to something after all.

Kamael-san shook his head, "That is not exactly correct. In the Choir system, the Lord divides us based on our duties. The Ninth Choir, Angels are messengers, not warriors. The Eighth Choir, Archangels, possess the same duty as Angels, but with a higher emphasis in combat capability."

"I am a member of the Sixth Choir, Powers. In Latin, Powers is called Potestas, which is a false name that I use. We are the warriors of Heaven. Our task is to eliminate enemies of Heaven. However, I must admit that we are currently, bluntly speaking, jobless."

I blinked, "What do you mean? Kamael-san protected me because Raynare tried to attack me and you are a Power, right?"

"The relationship between Angels, Devils and Fallen Angels have changed. We no longer seek conflict with each other like we used to in the past." Kamael shook his head, "And I am not here because of my job, Hyoudou-san. I am here because I am interested in you."

...somehow, that sounded wrong. But wait…

"Interested... in me?"

"Correct. I sensed the Sacred Gear within you, that is why I came to this town, entered your school, and watched over you. I followed you that day, during your date, as I had a suspicion that the girl, 'Amano Yuuma' was not a human."

...wait, so… "Kamael-san, could it be that you befriended me because I have a Sacred Gear?"

When Kamael-san seemed to think about it, part of me was hurt. Did Kamael-san approached me just because of my Sacred Gear?

"No."

I was surprised hearing that firm answer.

"Sacred Gears might be powerful, they are part of the Lord's miracles. But to me, they are worthless compared to the quality of humans wielding them. You are a good person, Hyoudou-san, that is why I accepted your offer of friendship."

I admit, I grinned hearing that. I grinned like an idiot. I mean, it is sad, but I never had someone say I am a good person right into my face directly like that.

"While I would explain more about Angels, our time is limited, thus I will move on to Fallen Angels."

When he mentioned Fallen Angels, my mind recalled the image of Raynare, she was completely different from Yuuma-chan.

"Fallen Angels are Angels who disobeyed Laws of Heaven. The only indication that they are Fallen Angels is the color of their wings," From Kamael-san's back, five pairs of white wings appeared, "Angels' wings are white, while Fallen Angels' wings are black."

"Kamael-san, you mentioned 'Laws of Heaven', what are those laws?"

I was curious, I mean, Angels are supposed to be God's servants, right? What kind of rules bind them?

Kamael-san pondered for a moment, "As that Ishim, Raynare is a Fallen Angel of Grigori, the Watchers of Humanity, therefore I will name the law that she most likely broke, mating with humans."

...eh?

Kamael-san must have seen my expression because he repeated, "Mating with humans. Copulating with them. Having sex with them."

"No, I heard what you said, Kamael-san. But… really?"

"Yes, the result of an Angel breeding with a human are Nephilim. A race of giants, they are neither Angel nor human, I believe the description most appropriate for them is monstrous. After The Watchers fell and Nephilim started to populate the world, the Lord commanded us to slay all Nephilim."

"Isn't that too harsh?"

I mean, are they really that evil?

"Hyoudou-san, one of Nephilim's favorite food is human," Kamael-san's eyes seemed to glow, as if it was on fire as he spoke, "The Nephilim race is a threat to humanity and like all other threats to humanity, it must be eradicated."

...I don't think arguing with Kamael-san about this is going to do anything, so I just nodded.

"Let us return back to Fallen Angels. An Angel who fell would be exiled from Heaven and there is no method to 'ascend' back to Heaven."

"Even if they regretted breaking the law? What if they tried to repent?" I heard from Shidou's father that if someone sinned, they can repent and ask for God's forgiveness, but Kamael-san's words seemed to deny that.

Kamael nodded, "If it was a small sin, then that sin might be absolved. However, only the Lord may absolve 'heavy' sin such as breaking the Laws of Heaven. In this world, right now, it is impossible to absolve 'heavy' sins. Should anyone broke Heaven's Law, that would be the end for them."

"Huh?"

"The Lord cannot absolve your sins anymore, and we, Angels, are not above Heaven's Law. Therefore, there is no method possible to absolve 'heavy' sins."

The way Kamael-san stated it, it seemed strange. God of Bible can absolve sins, but for some reason, God can't do it anymore? And the Angels can't do that, so it is impossible to absolve heavy sins?

"There is no need to think about it too much, Hyoudou-san. All you need to understand is that there is no method to redeem Fallen Angels."

...I have a feeling that Kamael-san isn't saying something…

"I had already explained to you about Grigori yesterday, therefore I will not speak of them again. Finally, let us speak of Devils."

"They are like Youkai, right?"

Kamael-san nodded, "That is an apt comparison, I suppose. Just like how Youkai is consisted of many kind of demons such as Oni, Tengu, Yuki-Onna, Kitsune and so on, the Devils are separated into clans. But those are not important. When speaking of Devils, there is one fact that I cannot stress enough."

"What is it?"

"While this might be unavoidable in this town, I would prefer if you are cautious when interacting with a Devil."

...that sounds a bit strange.

"What do you mean 'unavoidable'?"

"This town, especially this school, Kuoh Academy falls within Devil's' territory. Whether knowingly or not, you have interacted with them."

Wait, what?

"What are you talking about, Kamael-san? This is Japan, you know? If this is a territory for some supernatural being, shouldn't it be Kami's territory or Youkai's territory? Is this related to why you didn't mention Kami or Youkai in as creatures I might encounter here?"

The Angel shook his head, "With the rise of Abrahamic religions' influence all over the world, we had territories in many countries, in Japan, we had control over this town and Shimabara. However, we lost this area during our war against the Fallen Angels and Devils, allowing the Devils to take control of this town."

...I've lived here since my birth but I had no idea that this place is under Devils' control…

"However," Kamael-san continued, "There is no need for you to be so concerned. It is not as if Devils are inherently evil. While there are malicious Devils, most of them are simply mischievous. Fortunately for us, the 'rulers' of this area are rather reasonable, They permitted me to stay in this town as long as I do not attack 'innocent' Devils. Though the word 'innocent' was used rather loosely."

I blinked, the way Kamael spoke about Devils gave me an impression that they are naughty, but normal. "So why did you tell me to be cautious, Kamael-san?"

Kamael sighed, "While they might not harm you directly, they possess the capability of reincarnating a human, living or dead, into a Devil."

My confusion grew, "Isn't that good? I mean, if someone I knew died and they can be revived, I would want that."

That was a wrong thing to say, I realized immediately as Kamael-san's face lost all expression.

"Hyoudou Issei, do you consider your humanity. Your potential as human being, so cheap that you would trade it for a life as a Devil? Do you believe that Devils are greater than humans? I disagree. Humanity is worth more than that. The Lord's love for humanity held no equal, the Lord praised humanity more than anything. The thought of someone throwing such blessing away to become a Devil is, to me, sickening."

Before I knew it, there was a sword pointing to my neck. The eyes of the Angel before me showed nothing but disgust as he spoke.

"Hyoudou Issei, should you, at any moment, choose the life of a Devil instead of the life of a human, there are two possible paths for you: First, you will kill yourself. Second, you, and the Devil who reincarnated you, will be eradicated by me."

I paled as I realized that Kamael-san was serious. I gulped and nodded.

"D-Don't worry, Kamael-san. I like being human," I told the red-haired Angel in an attempt to placate him.

Hearing my words, Kamael-san put away the sword and nodded and stated pleasantly, "Of course. A _good_ human such as Hyoudou-san would never do that. My apologies for startling you, Hyoudou-san."

Startling? I was scared to death! I wanted to shout.

...I just realized this but…

Kamael-san is not normal, isn't he?

Now that I think about it, he spoke about being interested in me, admitted that he stalked me, his eyes would have this strange glint whenever he spoke about 'humans'. And then there's how he called me, a 'good' human. I have a feeling that Kamael-san's definition of 'good' isn't the same as mine.

Should I ask him about that? He might be offended but…

"Kamael-san, you like humans, don't you?"

There, that should be 'safe' enough not to offend him.

Kamael nodded, seemingly pleased by my question, "Indeed. Perhaps as a human, it might be difficult for you to understand, Hyoudou-san, but humanity is fascinating. You humans are constantly changing, constantly improving. You were weak and oppressed in the past, and yet, now you stand above other creatures on earth. You futilely attempted to fight against nature, against catastrophes in the past, and yet now, you created structures that would not fall even if faced against earthquakes. You studied, you learned and you harnessed the laws of the world. Are there any other creatures capable of such feat other than humanity?"

Kamael-san had a delighted expression as he sang praises for humanity.

But…

"But we also did bad things, didn't we? I mean, we have weapons like guns. We went to war and killed other people," I pointed out to Kamael-san.

Kamael-san seemed surprised at my words. But then, the answer he gave confuses me even more, "Those are _evil_ humans' actions. They will be judged and punished by Heaven for their sins that pollutes humanity. _Good_ humans such as Hyoudou-san should not concern yourself with them."

...I think I better change the subject before Kamael-san got even weirder.

"Kamael-san, I promise to be careful when speaking with Devils, is there any other advice you can give?"

Kamael nodded, "Hyoudou-san, while you might have awakened your Sacred Gear, your body lacks training. You will not win in a battle against supernatural creature. Should you meet a hostile creature, I advise you to escape."

I relaxed when I see Kamael-san returning back to 'normal'.

I nodded, making a mental note of his advice. I realize that I'm still weak, though I can double my strength, Kamael-san showed that a double of human's strength is still too weak to fight against Angels or beings like them.

After that, I asked Kamael-san a few more things about supernatural creatures, especially about what I can do to help me survive.

* * *

After classes ended, Kamael-san and I made our way to the park at the edge of the town. That was where Kamael-san trained me yesterday.

There were children and some of their parents there, they seemed to be having fun playing around the 'toys' in the park. Actually, it reminded me of back when I used to play here.

When I saw several children playing there, I wondered why it seemed abandoned yesterday. Until yesterday, I hadn't visited this park since I met the uncle who taught me about oppai in the past, so I had no idea if this park is popular among kids or not.

"It is simple enough for me to cast a few suggestions around the area, ensuring that people who wish to come to the park change their mind and move elsewhere."

...to translate that, Kamael-san hypnotized people to not come to the park?

"It was not exactly a hypnosis, people who were caught by the suggestion would hear things such as, 'Shouldn't I buy some grocery instead of going to this park?' Or perhaps, 'The other park seems more fun, let's go there instead.' I dislike using this method as it reminds me of Devils, however, I failed to properly secure a place to train you, Hyoudou-san, thus I used this method."

Well… it would trouble others if we keep doing this so…

"Can't we train in the forest near Kuoh's old school building?"

I heard that the old school building was used by Occult Research Club. I was a bit worried since they sounded like a shady club, but since we are going to use the forest instead of the building, we probably won't meet them .

Kamael-san frowned, "I would prefer not to go there, Hyoudou-san. If you are worried about troubling people who wish to visit the park, fear not, I have contacted my superior, and he has agreed to provide us a place to train. However, it is not ready yet, thus we have to make do with this park."

I had no idea why Kamael-san doesn't want to train near the old school building but hearing that he already prepared a place for training, I sighed in relief. It would be bad if the children can't visit this park anymore.

Still… looking at the kids now, "Can't we train somewhere else, Kamael-san? I don't want to disturb the kids."

"I suppo-"

As Kamael-san spoke, a voice interrupted him. Kamael-san and I turned towards the voice and saw a nun with long blonde hair and green eyes approaching us.

I had no idea what language she spoke in, but that was definitely not Japanese.

Kamael-san spoke with the girl, for some reason, I understood what Kamael-san was saying but not the nun.

"Hyoudou-san, excuse me," Seeing my puzzled expression, Kamael-san tapped my head and suddenly I understood what the girl was saying. "Now you should be able to understand her words and speak to her. Keep in mind that this 'blessing' will only work on spoken language."

"I was appointed to the Church in this town. I apologize for disturbing you but… I heard you speak in Italian, may I ask for your help in directing me to the Church?"

My eyes opened wide in surprise, thanks to whatever Kamael-san did, I managed to understand the nun's words. It was as if she spoke in Japanese... That might be some kind of 'magic' that translates foreign language to a language I know.

"A direction to the Church, you say?" Kamael-san seemed puzzled.

Of course he was. There was no Church in this town. But…

"Kamael-san, maybe she meant the old Church at the outer part of the town?"

That Church was abandoned though. Shidou's father used to be a priest there, but he and the rest of the Church people left for some reason.

"There is an old Church in this town, but it no longer functions as one. Is that the Church you meant?" I asked her. Forgetting that she did not understand Japanese.

But for some reason, she seemed to understand my words. Must be the effect of that magic Kamael-san did.

"Ah! Truly? I am glad to hear that. This is all thanks to the Lord!"

She smiled happily as she praised the God from the Bible. That was a bit surprising, but Kamael-san seemed to be pleased hearing her words.

"I did not expect to see a follower of the Lord in this city, such a fortunate meeting. You speak Italian, may I assume that you are a member of Vatican?"

The girl nodded, "Yes, my name is Asia Argento. I am pleased to meet you."

Asia Argento? That would be… Argento Asia?

Kamael seemed to freeze hearing her name, but he recovered his composure.

"I see. So you ar-" Whatever Kamael-san was about to say was cut when we heard a cry from one of the children.

I turned my head to the source of the voice and saw a boy with a scratch on his knee. It seemed that he tripped. His mother was with him, so he should be fine, but the nun, Argento-san suddenly walked towards the boy, so Kamael-san and I followed her.

"Are you alright?" Argento-san asked the boy, the boy probably couldn't understand a single word she said but I'm sure he understood that she was trying to comfort him because she had a kind expression as she spoke.

Then the sister put a hand over the injury and Kamael-san spoke.

"Watch, Hyoudou-san. That is a Sacred Gear. One that I explained to you yesterday, the Smile of Holy Mother, [Twilight Healing]."

I watched in amazement as a green light orb appeared from Argento-san's palm and glowed over the boy's injury.

Then, like magic, or as Kamael-san explained, like 'miracle', the boy's injury started to disappear.

After a few seconds, the injury was completely gone and the boy was healed.

The boy's mother who seemed shocked when Argento-san started to heal him, seemed to snap out of it and hurriedly took the boy away.

That seemed ungrateful to me. Argento-san healed her son, the least she could do is say thanks.

"Thank you, onee-chan!" The boy shouted as he was dragged by his mother.

"He said, thank you big sister," I translated it for Argento-san.

She smiled happily when she heard that. "I am glad to be of help."

"That light was…" I was about to ask if she knew that it was Sacred Gear.

"It was the light of healing. It is a wonderful blessing that the Lord gave me."

She said something like that but she had a sad smile. Kamael-san too, frowned when he heard that.

It seemed that she had some dark past and Kamael-san seemed to know about it.

I decided not to probe too deeply. I probably shouldn't say something like, 'Actually, I also have a Sacred Gear' or anything like that.

We walked towards the Church, making small talk, mostly just telling Argento-san about this city so that she could familiarize herself with this town.

After walking for a while, we reached the Church.

I didn't know why, but for some reason, the Church didn't feel… holy to me. Maybe it was because I got used to Kamael-san? He was an Angel after all.

"...disgusting…" I heard Kamael-san mutter as he observed the Church.

"Is this the Church you meant, Argento-san?" I asked her to make sure. I mean, if Kamael-san called it disgusting, is this really a Church?

Argento-san smiled, "Yes! But please, call me Asia. Thank you, umm…"

I just remembered that we hadn't introduced ourselves. We were interrupted by the boy's cry back when we were in the park.

"I'm Hyoudou Issei, nice to meet you, Asia-san," I introduced myself to her.

"...Potestas," Kamael-san did not say his 'real' name. Maybe he was trying to hide the fact that he was an Angel from her.

"Nice to meet you, Issei-san, Potestas-san!" She didn't actually say '-san', but I guess whatever Kamael-san did to me translated her words as '-san'. Maybe she actually said something like 'Mister'.

After Asia-san entered the Church, Kamael-san motioned for me to follow him and we left the place.

"What is it, Kamael-san?" I asked him when he stopped walking. The Church was almost out of sight, but I could still see the roof and the cross on top of the building.

"That abandoned Church is currently being used by Fallen Angels as their base of operation," Kamael-san answered, his expression unchanged.

"...seriously?" I had to ask, weren't Fallen Angels supposed to be… you know... 'dark'? Why are they hiding in a Church? Well… it is an abandoned Church, so that might be the reason…

"It seems that Asia Argento has joined the Fallen Angels. Such a pity, she _was_ a _good_ human in the past. Consider her as an example of human who you should _not_ follow, Hyoudou-san."

I might only knew her for a short while but I felt that Kamael-san's words were unwarranted.

"What do you mean by that, Kamael-san?" I asked coldly.

Kamael-san answered as if it was a fact, "She is excommunicated by the Church for knowingly healing a Devil."

"Excommunicated?"

"Excommunication, is an act where the Church disown their member and banish them."

"...Kamael-san," I had to keep my voice from shaking, "You said that Asia-san healed a Devil, right? But if she healed them, that means the Devil must be injured, right? The Devil might be dying, right?"

The Angel nodded.

"But she is still excommunicated? Even though all she did was help another living being?"

He nodded again.

"Do you accept that, Kamael-san? Do you agree with that?"

Kamael paused for a moment, "While I disapprove of excommunicating her. It is against the Law of Heaven to assist Devils as they might harm humans or tempt humans to sin."

"Isn't there something wrong with that?!" I shouted, "Was she supposed to let the Devil die? Even though to her, the Devil looked just like a normal person? Kamael-san, if, at the time I met her, I saw Yuuma-chan in trouble, I would help her, even if I know what she is, if I believed that she is a good person, then I would help her. Does that make me evil?"

Kamael sighed, "Hyoudou-san, while I agree that the way we treated Asia Argento is unsightly, that does not excuse her of joining Fallen Angels."

"Stop joking around! You admitted that you abandoned her! You agreed with me that you treated her wrongly but you didn't do anything! And now you are blaming her for joining Fallen Angels? Maybe she did that because they were the only ones who accepted her!"

My breathing was heavy as I shouted so much, but I kept on glaring at the Angel who claimed to love humanity, but abandoned Asia when she needed him.

Kamael-san said nothing in response to my outburst. I waited for him to reply, to deny my words, but nothing came.

"...you should return to your home, Hyoudou-san," Kamael-san spoke, but those words were not what I wanted to hear, "Should you need anything, I will be at the roof of Kuoh Academy."

Just like that, he walked away, not giving any rebuttal to my words.

* * *

I did not see Kamael-san at all since we parted ways yesterday.

Today, he was absent from school. I wondered if he was offended by what I said. A part of me thought that he might be hurt, but I dismissed that thought, Kamael-san did not strike me as the type of person who would be hurt just from that.

"...still…" I had no idea what to do. I thought about spending time with Matsuda and Motohama, but somehow I just can't enjoy myself. I decided to leave school at the first lunch break.

My mind returned back to my argument with Kamael-san. ...well, it was more of a one-sided shouting match… Then I realized, if Asia is with the Fallen Angels, she could be in danger! Raynare tried to kill me because I had a Sacred Gear, what if she tried to do the same to Asia-san?

I panicked, but I didn't know what to do, so I just wandered aimlessly.

Somehow, my feet lead me to this park, the park where I met Asia yesterday, the park where I awakened my Sacred Gear.

I sat on the bench and wondered what kind of expression I have right now. It must be quite a pitiful expression since Asia-san had concerned eyes as she watched me.

...wait, Asia-san?

"Asia-san?"

I was surprised to see her. I didn't expect to see her again. This town might not be as large as Tokyo or Osaka, but it is still considered a rather large place.

"We meet again, Issei-san," She greeted me with a cute smile.

Just seeing that smile made me want to return it with my own. But then I recalled what Kamael-san told me yesterday and my anxiety returns.

I opened my mouth but she spoke faster than me.

"Issei-san," She fidgeted, "I'm still not used to this town, can you take me for a tour, please?"

...did she really just ask that?

"I…" A flash of _her_ face appeared in my mind, causing me to hesitate. However, when I saw Asia's hopeful gaze, I nodded. "...sure, I don't mind."

...I had no idea if that was the right answer or not. But seeing Asia's smile, maybe it was?

 _But she smiled like that too. On that day, at that time._

* * *

"Auu…"

It was a comical sight, in my opinion.

A sister stood before the register, being confused about what to order.

"E-Excuse me, what would you like to order?"

Even the employee was confused!

Without any destination, I took Asia-san to a fast food restaurant at the business district.

The same district she and I visited during our date.

It seemed that Asia-san had never visited a restaurant like this, so I offered to help her, especially since she couldn't speak Japanese.

But she said proudly, "It's fine, I will manage it, somehow."

...if spirit is all you need to overcome language barriers, that would be good…

"Sorry," I spoke to the employee, "She will have the same order as me."

The employee seemed relieved when I interjected but Asia-san seemed dejected.

"Auu… I'm ashamed… I can't even buy a single hamburger by myself…"

"W-Well… as you stay in this town and you learn more Japanese, I'm sure you can do it…"

Part of me thought about asking Kamael-san to help Asia-san learn languages magically like me, but I dismissed the thought.

While we walked towards an empty table, I noticed that most of the customers were looking at Asia-san.

Maybe it was because she was a nun and also because she was cute.

 _It was similar to how people would stare at her during our date._

I shook my head, trying to get rid of the memories.

"Issei-san, is there a problem?" Asia-san had a worried expression. She must be worried because I suddenly stopped.

I gave her a smile, "Don't worry about it, it's nothing."

When we reached our table and sat on the seats. Asia clasped her hands together and started to pray. I wondered how she felt, praying to God who did not do anything as she was excommunicated. The God who abandoned her.

When Asia-san finished her prayers and I mutter a quick, "Ittadakimasu," As I opened some of the wrapping over my hamburger, allowing me to eat it without dirtying my hands.

Then I stopped, because Asia did not open hers, but instead looked at it the same way someone would look at an unidentified object.

"Asia-san, you can eat the hamburger by taking the wrap off like this," I showed her how I took off the wrap.

"Th-There's actually a way to eat like that? Amazing!"

...that was a really cute reaction.

I also showed her how to eat the fries and she seemed amazed as she watched me eat.

"Asia-san, shouldn't you eat your food too? It might get cold," I told her and she hurriedly nodded and took a small bite of the burger.

"It's delicious! This burger is really delicious"

What was this girl saying with such happy eyes? What kind of food did she eat before this?

"Is this the first time you eat a burger?"

She nodded, "Yes! I have seen it before on television, but this is my first time eating it! I am moved, this is delicious!"

...I had no idea how to react to that.

"I-I see… and what do you normally eat, Asia-san?"

"Most of the time, I ate bread and soup. Also, vegetables and pasta."

...was that how people of the Church lived?

"I see… well, since you'll be staying in this town. I know some good restaurants, I'll take you there whenever you want."

She nodded, smiling happily, which made me smile as well.

"To think that I would meet someone as kind as Issei-san here… This must be God's blessing!"

My smile disappeared hearing that. Kamael-san's cold words resounded in my head.

...I don't know how to help Asia-san with her problem but…

"Asia-san, after we're done eating, why don't we go to a game center?"

Asia-san gave me another nod, still smiling.

* * *

When we went to the game center, Asia was distracted by one of the crane games.

Curious, I asked her, "Is there something you want, Asia-san?"

She shook her head, but glanced at the crane game as she did so. I moved closer and looked at the contents of the machine.

Inside it were cute dolls of 'Ranche-kun', a mouse-based mascot that seemed to be quite popular worldwide. Perhaps Asia-san wanted it?

"Asia-san, do you like Ranche-kun?" I asked her.

"Eh? N-No, I…" She attempted to deny it, but when she saw my smile she nodded, blushing.

"Alright, then I'll get one for you."

"Eh? But…"

"It's okay, I'll definitely get it."

I put a coin inside the crane game and tried to get a Ranche-kun doll. My first try was quite good as the doll I targeted dropped in a good location.

I put in another coin, but this time, I missed Ranche-kun. The same happened to me during my third and fourth tries.

I saw Asia-san looking worried as she watched me trying to get Ranche-kun.

I put in another coin. I'll definitely get it this time!

And I did! There was a feeling of triumph when I saw the Ranche-kun doll drop into the goal.

"Yeah!" I made a victory pose as the Ranche-kun doll appeared from the slot below.

I gave it to Asia-san, "Here you go, Asia-san."

She beamed as she hugged the doll, "Thank you very much, Issei-san. I will take care of this doll!"

I smiled, "If a doll makes you so happy, I promise I'll get you something better next time, okay?"

To my surprise, Asia-san shook her head, "No, this Ranche-kun that you gave me is enough, Issei-san. Since yesterday, you have helped me so much. I will treasure it, this bond between you and me."

I blushed hearing those words. It was something really sappy, but when Asia-san said it, it seemed so natural.

"Alright! We haven't started yet! Asia-san, we'll play around for the whole day today! Follow me!"

"Yes!"

I took Asia-san's hand and went further to the game center.

* * *

"...we played a lot today…"

"Y-Yes… I'm a bit tired…"

It was already evening by the time Asia and I reached the park. It was not the park where I met Asia, instead, it was the park where I saw her true face for the first time.

...I took Asia around the town, but it was not the same route as when I went to a date with her.

 _"Honestly, that was the most boring date I've ever experienced. It was like playing house with a little child,"_

I shook my head as I recalled _her_ words. I don't want to hear that again.

I never wanted to experience that again. I don't want to be betrayed again.

"Issei-san, is there something I can help you with?"

Asia-san suddenly asked me, I turned towards her with a surprised expression.

"No, why do you ask, Asia-san?"

She frowned as she answered me, "You seem to have a pained expression. I wonder if I can help… maybe the power God gave me can ease your pain, Issei-san."

I laughed, but it wasn't a happy one, I highly doubt that. Even if a Sacred Gear can make miracles happen, I doubt this pain of mine can be healed by it.

"Your power… it's a Sacred Gear, isn't it?" I didn't know if I asked this question because of curiosity, or because I wanted to change the subject.

Asia-san seemed surprised, "Yes, it is. You know about Sacred Gears, Issei-san?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I have a Sacred Gear too."

"Really, Issei-san? You have a Sacred Gear too? I didn't realize that... "

I grinned, "Even though I said that, my Sacred Gear is not as useful as yours… your Sacred Gear can heal any injuries, right?"

...she had a complicated expression hearing my words. Then, it morphed into a sad one.

I panicked, did I say something wrong?

A tear fell from her eyes. Then another, and another, it was as if a dam had been opened as she started to cry.

I didn't know what to do, but I hugged her.

"...it's okay, cry all you want… I'll be here for you."

...I had no idea if what I did was right or wrong as she continued to cry on my shoulder.

After a while, she stopped crying. After she calmed down, she began to tell me about her past. Her life before she was excommunicated.

Asia-san was born in a certain region in Europe. She was an orphan, as she was discarded by her parents.

She was raised in a Church by a nun, along with other orphans. The Church's teaching and the Lord were all she knew in her life.

At the age of 8, she received a special power. The power to heal the wounded.

One day, she saw a puppy in pain and attempted to heal it, wishing to ease its pain. To her surprise, and the surprise of people around her, a miracle occurred and the puppy was healed.

From then on, her life changed. She was taken to Vatican and was symbolized as a 'Holy Maiden' because of her healing power.

Every day, wounded people would be brought to her and she would heal them.

She was not dissatisfied. The people of the Church were kind, and she did not hate healing people. Instead, she was happy she could heal people.

She was thankful, she could help people using the power bestowed by the Lord.

But she was lonely. Many people would talk to her, they would be kind to her, but they would not become her friends.

Because, even if she looked like a human, the power she had was not normal. It was an irregularity.

She was not a human but a symbol, a 'Holy Maiden'.

All it took was one day. Just like how she was 'transformed' into a 'Holy Maiden', a single day was all it took to change her life.

By coincidence, she happened to see a Devil. The Devil was wounded and she was ware that the being was a Devil.

But she believed that if someone is injured, then she should heal it. This was not an act born of evil desire. It was simply kindness.

One of the follower of the Church saw her doing so and reported it.

The ministers of the Church were shocked hearing what happened.

It was absurd. Among those who had the capability to heal, no one but her could heal Devils.

It was believed to be a common sense, that Devils and Fallen Angels could not be healed. But her power could heal them, and she did.

Apparently, there was a similar event in the past. And from it, it was declared that the power to heal Fallen Angels and Devils was not the power of the Lord, but the power of a Witch.

And so, the people who once loved her, hated her, declaring her as a heretic, they abandoned her.

She had nowhere to go, nowhere to turn to. She was homeless, aimless, until an organization recruited her. An organization of exorcists excommunicated by the Church, just like her, and Fallen Angels.

However, even as she lived among the Fallen, she did not abandon her faith in the Lord.

She continued to pray, she continued to thank the Lord for His Blessings.

And yet, she was abandoned.

The Lord did not save her.

But what shocked her the most, was that no one in the Church defended her. No one cared about her.

"...it's because I didn't pray enough… it's because I'm clumsy. I'm so stupid that I can't even eat a burger by myself…"

Asia-san tried to laugh as she wiped her tears.

I had no idea what to say.

I didn't know how to comfort her.

Even after hearing her past, I could not imagine the pain and suffering she felt.

"This is also a trial that the Lord gave me. Since I'm a clumsy nun, the Lord gave me this trial. So I must endure."

She was laughing as she told herself that.

Was that a lie to protect herself? To protect her faith?

Did she tell herself that until she believed it?

You don't have to say anything any more…

I could not say that.

"I'm sure… I will make lots of friends one day… I have a dream… I want to go buy flowers with a friend, buying books… and… talk…"

Her face was covered in tears..

I could not bear to look at her.

The suffering she must have felt. The pain she must have endured.

She waited, she prayed for God to save her.

But He did not come.

Instead, I, it was me, a worthless human who never even gave God any thought.

Kamael-san came to me instead. He did not save her.

Why?

Why God? Why didn't you save her?

What are you doing? What the fuck are you doing?!

I am nobody. I am just a boy, living without cheerfully without giving any thought about people who suffered.

Why the fuck did you save me instead of her?!

I don't know what kind of plan you have. I don't care. If you won't save her.

Then I will. Even if I have to suffer with her, even if I have to fight against You, Your Angels, and even the Fallen Angels.

I promise I will save her.

"Asia-san, no, Asia," She looked up to me, her eyes were still red from all the tears she let out, "I will be your friend. No, in fact, we are already friends, right? We went to a restaurant together, we played in the game center together."

"I-Issei-san…" She trembled hearing my words. Did I make a mistake? Did I make another mistake? "W-Why? Why do you want to be friends with me? Someone like me…"

"Because I like you," Those were my honest feelings, Asia is a kind girl, a good girl who would heal even a devil. She was not someone you could hate. I… want to protect her. I want to save her. "So… call me, Ise. My friends call me Ise."

"Ise-san… but I… I'm clumsy, I have no common sense..."

"That's alright! We can learn by going around the city! If we go together, see different things, you will learn eventually!"

"I can't speak Japanese… I don't know anything about its culture…"

"I will teach you! I don't know how long it will take, but I will teach you! By the end of it, you will be like a natural born Japanese! We can go visit museums, watch feudal-era movies together!"

"I-I… I don't know what to talk about with a friend…"

"What are you saying? We are talking aren't we? Since this morning, haven't we been talking?"

"...will you really be my friend?"

I nodded firmly, there was no hesitation in my heart, "Yeah. I will be your friend, Asia. So, please take care of me, okay?"

She nodded and gave me a smile.

It was a smile more radiant than any she showed before.

"That's impossible."

With those words, my world exploded in pain.

"Ise-san!" Asia screamed in horror.

A spear of light pierced my stomach. I turned my head and saw _her_.

"R-Raynare…"

"Finally... it seems that Power had left you. It is annoying how you slipped away that night, but now, this will be the end for you."

Asia immediately tried to heal my wound with her Sacred Gear.

I coughed up blood as she pulled the spear out. Normally my life would be over, but thanks to Asia's Sacred Gear, I managed to stay alive...

"Asia, let's go back," She gave an order to the nun casually.

Asia trembled as she kept healing me.

"Don't… go… Asia…" I told her as I turned my body, placing me between Raynare and my friend.

"...huh?" Raynare seemed to be surprised by my action, "What do you think you can do against me, Issei? You're just a human, you think you can beat me?"

My left arm shone as I called my Sacred Gear.

Raynare took a single look at it and started to laugh. "Really? You act so cool and that's the best you can do? They said you had a rare Sacred Gear but it's actually just a [Twice Critical]?"

I glared. Kamael-san told me that my Sacred Gear had not fully awaken but… I could not allow Asia be taken by her… I recalled the words he told me during my training.

"Your Sacred Gear, or at the very least, [Twice Critical] works according to your desire to become stronger. Should you wish it to be, then it will doubles your physical abilities, your strength, speed, endurance and many more. Though it does have its limit. As its name implies, [Twice Critical] can only boost your physical abilities once."

"I will… protect… Asia…" For that, I need power. I thought as the jewel on my Sacred Gear glowed.

[Boost!]

I felt a rush as my power was doubled. With this I ca-

My thought was cut short as two spears of light embedded itself on my shoulders.

"Asia, let's go back. If you disobey me, my next spear will pierce his head. And you, don't get cocky just because you have a Sacred Gear. Even if you multiply zero with two, the result is still zero."

Damn it! Still… I won't…

"Y-Yes… I understand," I heard Asia's reply.

"A-Asia?" I turned towards her.

"Ise-san… thank you. Today was really fun…"

"Really?" Raynare cuts in, "You had fun? With this guy? Seriously, how pathetic can you be, Asia? This guy is boring. I almost fell asleep when he took me around."

I was angry, I was frustrated but-

"You're wrong!" Asia shouted, "Ise-san is… Ise-san is kind! Ise-san showed me many things, he taught me things I don't understand. He…" She placed her hand on her pocket, where she kept the doll I gave her.

"Yes, yes, whatever. Let's go," The Fallen Angel brushed Asia's words aside. "The more time you spend talking, the more time we'll waste."

Asia smiled towards me as she walked away, "Ise-san… I'm sure… we'll see each other again…"

I knew that she was lying. Because she was crying as she said those words of farewell.

She and that Fallen Angel disappeared. The wounds on my shoulders and stomach were healed, thanks to Asia.

Asia… I failed her...

Even though she just cried on my shoulder. Even though she poured her heart out to me.

Even though I promised to protect her… Even though I'm supposed to be her friend...

I was too weak. I was the one protected instead.

Tears flowed from my eyes…

"...damn it…"

...I'm pathetic…

* * *

 **For now, I don't think there is anything I need to explain. I can explain more about each 'Choirs' and each 'Sephira', but I plan to do that in a more suitable chapter(s) (Which is still far away).**

 **Still... if you have something that you want me to explain, just PM me or leave a review, I will edit this chapter to include the explanation (or put the explanation in the next chapter).**

 **Next Chapter: I Will Save My Friend!**

 **Thank you for reading.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD.**

 **Warning, this story contains religious and mythological elements. The author does not mean any disrespect to the mentioned religious views.  
**

 **Thanks to Wrathie Winsre for the cover image!**

 **I'll be replying to Guests Reviewers here since they can't be PM'd.**

 **dragon rider: ...wonder how he can 'feel the power' as you put it.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 3  
**

 **I Will Save My Friend!**

* * *

I know not how long I stood in this place.

One of the Devils, Sitri questioned my presence here, ordering me to attend the lesson instead of standing here.

On the rooftop of Kuoh Academy.

But I refused. I could not do that. I had stated to Hyoudou Issei that I would be here should he need me. And here I would wait.

"Asia Argento…" I held no ill will towards her. Even if she was no longer a good human, all I felt was pity.

Pity that she had to cling to the Fallen to keep on living. Pity that she abandoned her faith for her survival.

Then I heard footsteps. Unexpected.

It was nighttime, I doubted any student remained in this Academy. I sensed Sitri and Gremory in their bases, the Student Council and Occult Research Club. So it was not either of them.

[Boost!]

As the door leading to the rooftop was blown away, I knew who it was.

"Hyoudou-san, it is already late, should you not be sleeping?"

"Help me, Kamael."

...I was a bit taken aback by how he called me. "Help you, Hyoudou-san? I am afraid you need to be more precise."

"Help me save Asia."

...I suppose I should have expected it. Hyoudou Issei seemed to be attached to her.

"I am afraid I cannot do that. To assist someone who turned her back to Hea-"

My words were stopped by Hyoudou Issei's fist. But I did not react, there was no need to react. Though humanity had potential, Hyoudou Issei's strength was below my own.

"...how dare you…"

I met his gaze, a gaze filled with anger.

"How dare you say that! Asia! She kept on praying! She kept on believing in God! Even when you, even when God abandoned her! She still kept on believing that it is all a trial! That all her suffering is her own fault! She blamed herself! She said that God gave her those trials because she isn't good enough! How dare you insult her faith!"

I opened my mouth but Hyoudou Issei's fist stopped me once again.

"Where were you?! Where were you when she suffered?! Where were you when the people around her abandoned her?! Where were you when she was led astray by the Fallen Angels?! Where the fuck is your God when she cried?! You said you love humans! You said that your God love humans! Well that is a fucking lie!"

My eyes narrowed, "Hyoudou-san," I grabbed his fist as he was about to punch me, "I would advise you not to doubt my feelings, the Lord's feelings for humanity. We have sacrificed much for you."

"Well then it's not fucking enough! If you abandoned a girl who believes in you with her whole heart and instead saved a no good human like me, then it's not even close to enough! Why did you save me instead of her?! What makes me special? What makes her not special? She… Asia… she is a good girl..."

I… had no reply for him. My words died in my throat as I saw his tears. His sadness, his pain.

"...please…" Hyoudou Issei fell in front of me as I released his hand. "Please… save her…" He knelt, he pleaded, he begged. "If you think Asia is a sinner, then I will shoulder it… I'll take her sins. If she must be punished, then I'll take the punishment for her… But please… save my friend..."

Those words. I had heard words similar to his before.

From a man who was not a man. From a God who was not a God. From a being who died for the world. I had not wept for him. For he was not a human. I even thought him as arrogant. For someone to declare that he would represent humanity, even though he was not even one of them.

And yet, now… a human stood before me. Uttering the same words as him. And he did it, for the sake of a friend. It was breathtaking. It was fascinating. To see such purity, to see such humanity...

I grabbed his shoulders and raised him.

"I do not know if the Lord will allow it. I do not know if Heaven will accept it. However, Hyoudou Issei. If you, if a human such as you, ask me to save Asia Argento, then I will do so. Without a shred of doubt or hesitation, I will stand with you, against anyone, against anything."

Hyoudou Issei seemed surprised by my words, but he nodded firmly.

"Please save my friend. Save Asia Argento."

In the end, that was all I need. Words, wishes from a human.

Ever since the Lord created Adam and Lilith, creating His own humanity like other Gods, I fell in love.

They were pure, they were innocent, they were foolish. Yet they seemed to live in happiness, unlike my brother and I. I would ask the Lord many things about them. About what they were, what they would become, what should I consider them to be.

The Lord and I would rejoice, as humanity grew. Just like how parents would be happy when babies uttered their first words, walked their first steps.

When Lilith refused to be placed lower than Adam, I sang praises for her deep within my heart. For to me, humanity is equal. Equally beautiful, equally fascinating. When Eve was created, I was outraged, for the Lord created her 'of' Adam, not 'with' Adam. Yet, I saw light, not unlike Lilith's within her, thus, I said nothing.

When my brother, the Poison of God, lured Eve and tempted her to break the Law of the Lord, I was both outraged and exhilarated. Because I wanted to see, I wanted to know what humanity could become.

Both Adam and Eve at the Fruit of Knowledge, they were banished from Eden, and I was sent to comfort them. When I saw them, I saw something that I did not expect. They had lost their home, yet they gained something more. Something that caused their souls to glow even brighter than before.

I met them, talked with them for the first time. I told them of the other humans, those created by the Vedic Gods, those created by the Sumerian Gods, and those who evolved naturally. They were fascinated, but so was I as I saw them still holding to their faith in the Lord, even when He had exiled them.

When Cain killed Abel, I was there with the Lord. I questioned the Lord why He refused Cain's offerings. Cain might not kill Abel had the Lord received his offerings instead of rejecting it. The Lord asked me if I questioned His Will. I replied to Him, a reply that caused my brothers and sisters to be outraged, and the Lord to laugh.

When Azazel and the Watchers fell, I accepted it. For I felt that there could be no better reason to Fall. Azazel and the Watchers fell because of humanity, and I would never reject them for that. When they taught humanity knowledge, my heart leapt with joy. With those knowledge, humanity would grow even further.

When Nephilim rose and we were commanded to slay them, I did so. I consider it a pity that the union of Angels and humans would result in such abomination. Perhaps it was because Azazel and the others were Fallen Angels, yet, it was still a minor pity that I had to slay descendants of humanity, no matter how vile they were.

When the Lord brought Enoch up to Heaven and transformed him into Metatron, I was there. When the Lord declared him to be the greatest of all angels, when the Lord commanded us to bow to the Lesser YHVH, I did so gladly. I felt vindicated, for humanity had proven itself to be capable of rising beyond us.

When Noah built his Ark and lived through through Deluge, along with other humans created by other Gods, I was relieved. As the Lord and other Gods promised not to do such thing again. It was painful to see many humans dying as the rain washed them away.

When I saw Abraham, when I saw Moses, when I saw Solomon, when I saw Elijah, when I saw the brightest stars among humanity, heroes, kings, saints, martyrs, I would be enthralled. I would pray as they suffered, I would rejoice as they triumphed and I would mourn as they died.

Even during the Great War, even during the war against Devils and Fallen Angels, I took up my Flaming Sword for the sake of humanity and nothing else. The Great War was terrible and the Lord's death was a great loss, and yet, I considered it as a Pyrrhic victory.

For Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels had suffered too much to keep their holds on humanity. For other pantheons, other Gods, had been overwhelmed by us before the War. For the first time after the conception of Gods, humanity was free.

And now, a human, one with potential to be the brightest I have ever seen, had asked me to fight. To take up my sword once more.

Thus I remembered, the words of the Son of Man. The words of a man who was not a man, of a God who was not a God.

 _"Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you."_

* * *

"Hyoudou Issei, this will be your first real battle, are you prepared?"

I nodded firmly as Kamael and I ran through the city, "I will definitely save Asia."

"You are still inexperienced. You lack strength. Yet, you will still continue on? Even though you might face death?"

"Yes."

I was just a high school boy. A few days ago, my life was simple. Get up in the morning, go to school, do idiotic things with Matsuda and Motohama, laugh as we played around…

 _But then, I met her, Amano Yuuma._ I was happy, I thought I found someone who I could love, who could accept me.

She tried to kill me. Her feelings were nothing more than lies.

 _I was saved by him, Potestas Kamael._ He introduced me to a world I never knew existed. I was excited. Learning that I was special made me happy. Learning that I could live in a supernatural world filled with adventures made me burn with anticipation.

I thought I was special. And I was happy because of that.

 _But then, I met her, Asia Argento._ At that time, I thought that she was just someone from the world I just stepped into. Just a person I would never see again.

I was wrong. We met once more, and in our short time together, I felt a connection with her. When she told me her past, I was filled with complex emotions.

I loathed myself, for thinking that the new world was fun. I loathed myself, for not being able to comfort her. I loathed myself, for being saved instead of her.

I thought it was not too late. I thought I could help her. So I became friends with her.

Maybe I befriended her to make me feel better? Because, if I do, at least I can say that I did something for her. I don't know. All I know is that I don't want to see her sad. Hearing my words, she smiled. She seemed happy.

Yet, her happiness did not last. Amano Yuuma, Raynare, appeared before us.

I promised Asia, I would protect her. But...

...I failed to keep my promise and Asia had to protect me instead.

 _I, Hyoudou Issei am pathetic._ I was too naive. I was too childish. I thought I could protect Asia, even though I'm so weak.

That's why I pleaded to the Angel. To the same God I denounced for leaving Asia. It was pitiful. That I would clung back to the same person I condemned.

Yet, Kamael accepted my plea. Even though I haven't apologized to him. Even though I insulted him and the God he served.

What did Asia feel? When she heard me declare that I would protect her. Did she hear that as a fool making promises he wouldn't be able to keep?

I don't know.

What did Kamael feel? When I ran back to him, begging for his help. Did he thought I was pitiful? Selfish?

I don't know.

I swear I will apologize to them. But I can't do that now. It is impossible to do that now.

Because right now, I don't care how deplorable I am, how hideous I might seem. As long as I can save her and protect her smile, I will do anything.

Without a hesitation I pulled my hand.

[Boost!]

And punched the church's door.

* * *

The jewel glowed. I thought as Hyoudou Issei and I entered the church.

It happened for just an instant, yet, I was sure that the jewel on Hyoudou Issei's Sacred Gear glowed. It was different from the glew that shone whenever it used its ability.

Is it awakening? Could it be that the Red Drag-

My thoughts were cut short by the voice from the altar.

"Huuh? Seriously? That bitch was telling the truth? A shitty angel and an idiot are actually attacking us?"

...I recognize him. Freed Sellzen, a filth that pollutes humanity simply by existing.

He was an Exorcist, yet, he had no faith in the Lord. He joined the warriors of the Church, not out of duty, but because he wishes to kill. He would slay the guilty, the innocent, without any hesitation in pursuit of his joy. When Vatican learned of his actions, he was declared as a criminal and was hunted.

It seemed that he joined the Fallen Angels after escaping Vatican.

...It would appear that I will eliminate more than Fallen Angels tonight…

"Where's Asia?!"

It would appear that Hyoudou Issei is in quite a rush. That is not good, losing your composure will only lead to an early grave.

"What's with that? That's the first question that you asked me? That's rude, you know?! What about asking who I am? Why did you ask for that shitty nun instead?"

"I don't give a fuck who you are! I'm asking you, where is Asia?!"

"Calm down, Hyoudou Issei."

Freed Sellzen shrugged, "Oh well, it's not like I care if a stupid kid knows me or not. That bitch took her to the ritual spot through the hidden stairs under the altar," He stated as he nonchalantly pointed at the main altar.

Ritual, is it? It would appear that Azazel's words were true. That Fallen, Raynare, is trying to steal the Twilight Healing. I would eliminate her but…

If Azazel was telling the truth about her objective, then the information he gave me should be accurate.

"Hyoudou Issei, there should be more than one Fallen Angels around. I will lure as many of them here."

After receiving a nod from him, I took out my weapon, the Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade (Prototype). It was a weapon capable of creating a Light or Darkness blade. Azazel once claimed that the Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade embodies the hidden Darkness within Angels, and the concealed Light within Devils.

"So the shitty Angel will be my enemy? Bring it on!" The fallen priest seemed to wish for a battle.

I wordlessly activated the Darkness energy within the blade and swung it, sending a wave of black energy towards Freed Sellzen.

The stray exorcist avoided the wave, yet my goal was accomplished as the energy cut through the main altar and exploded as it reached the wall.

That should catch the attention of the Fallens. I turned my head and saw Hyoudou Issei already moving towards the hidden stairs beneath the altar.

How fortunate, I thought as I heard wings flapping and three Fallen Angels appeared before me. A male and two female.

"Freed, what are you doing?!" One of them, a blue haired woman questioned Freed Sellzen.

"Ah, fuck. You guys are going to steal my prey, aren't you?" The trash wearing a human face asked as he glared at the three Fallen Angels.

Foolish... I deactivated the Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade (Prototype).

"...prey?" I had to wonder if he was blind. "Are you quite sure, Freed Sellzen, that 'prey' is the word you wish to use?"

A sword appeared in my hand. Seeing it, the male Fallen's eyes widened. It seemed that he recognized the blade.

Of course he would, there was no other like it. It was a blade that was as black as the abyss, Unlike others, it was not created that way, it was not colored that way. The blade was black because it was charred beyond recognition. Every time I wield it, the blade was scorched by the Flames of Gevurah.

"...the Flaming Sword…" The man muttered fearfully.

 _"So He drove the man out; and at the east of the Garden of Eden He stationed the Cherubim, and the Flaming Sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the Tree of Life,"_ With those words I recited, the Flames of Gevurah covered the blade.

"Perish."

And the Flaming Sword was swung.

* * *

As I ran through the passage with all that I had, the light bulbs flickered ominously but I pushed down my fear to run even faster. The power I felt from Twice Critical's Boost had dissipated moments ago.

When, I reached the end of the passage, there was a big door.

I tensed, I had no idea what lies beyond this door but…

[Boost!]

I had no time to think, to consider my options. My mind was filled with thoughts of saving Asia.

I kicked the door down.

"...so you came after all," Raynare spoke as she turned towards me. Behind her stood priests surrounding a strange cross, Asia should be hidden among the priests.

"Asia!" I shouted, though it was too far for me to distinguish her among the priests. "Don't worry, I'll save you soon."

Hearing my words, Raynare burst out laughing.

"You? A mere human like you? What can you do? The only reason you're alive now is because that damned Power protected you! You can't even touch me!" Then she grinned, "Where is he, anyway? Where's that red-haired Power?"

"He's upstairs," I answered her as I clenched my fist. "He'll be here once he beat that priest."

The grin on the Fallen Angel's face seemed maniacal as she shook her head, "Poor poor Issei. Don't you know that there are three of my companions above? Even if he's a Power, that angel won't be able to win against the three of them. He might be dead already by now!"

I was a bit worried about Kamael, could he win against three Fallen Angels? I nodded to myself, he could.

"He won't lose," I firmly declared.

Raynare sighed as if disappointed, "You really are stupid, aren't you? Issei-kun?" As she said my name, her voice changed, transforming into Yuuma's voice.

I rushed towards her, fist raised.

"Do you actually think you can reach me, Ise-kun?" Raynare created a light spear and threw it towards me.

I leapt to the side and avoided it, then I continued my dash.

"Hmph, so you can learn, after all," Raynare formed two light spears, one on each of her hands, "Well, let's see you dance, shall we?"

I jumped, rolled, ducked, I did everything I could to avoid those spears that almost killed me multiple times in the past three days.

I gradually grew closer to Raynare, she was vulnerable, she had no light spears, so I pulled my fist and-

"Stupid Ise-kun~"

With a sadistic smile she avoided my fist and kicked my stomach. It might be a normal kick to her but when done to a human like me, it was as if a sledgehammer slammed my body.

I screamed as I was blown away back to where I started, next to the broken door. Blood flowed out of my mouth, and my whole body ached with pain, but I wasn't done yet. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Raynare disappearing.

I tried to stand but Raynare flew above me and slammed her feet on my back, sending me crashing back to the ground.

"Kneel, Ise-kun. That's all you humans are good for. Kneel and worship your betters," She said to me as she added more pressure on my back. "Then again, can you even kneel with me holding you down? You're just like a dog, you can't even kneel without me letting you."

I tried to raise my body but she was stronger than me. "I won't… lose…"

"Are you seriously still saying that Ise-kun? Your Sacred Gear is useless, twice of a human's power can never reach my level. It's like you're a sheep trying to fight back against a wolf, you know?"

I turned my head and glared as I continued to struggle, "Don't… worry… I'll reach you soon enough…"

I swear I would. I won't fail, I'll definitely save Asia. There's no way I'm letting her to beat me like this…

Raynare's smile disappeared, "Filthy human!" She raised her leg and slammed it down on my back once again. I screamed as I felt my bones cracking under the pressure.

"Ise-san!" I heard Asia's voice. Even though it was painful, I ignored the pain and turned towards the voice.

She was trying to reach me. But the priests stopped her.

"Asia…"

"Ohh! Look at that! The princess is trying to save the hero! What a pathetic hero he is! He can't even do his job right!" Raynare taunted with a grin.

I…

"He can't even fight back! He's letting me walk all over him, literally and figuratively, of course. Maybe he's actually enjoying this? Hey, Ise-kun, are you actually a masochist? Maybe that's why you're trying to save Asia? Oh, wait, could it be that you like Asia because of that? Because she can play with you and heal you with that Sacred Gear of hers?"

Anger filled me, but I couldn't do anything. I'm too weak. I'm pathetic… I thought as I laid on the ground.

"You know, Asia? Why don't I take this chance to teach you some things you can do to please a man? Ise-kun here is a virgin after all, I'm sure he wouldn't mind being used as a toy before dyi-"

"Shut up!"

It was not me who screamed, but Asia.

"Ise-san is not like that! Ise-san is my friend! Even though I'm useless, even though I'm pathetic, Ise-san accepted me! Ise-san is kind! Ise-san is… Ise-san is… Ise-san is greater than you!"

Raynare blinked hearing Asia's words. "Greater than me?" Her expression became ugly. "This worthless human?! Are you even listening to your own words, bitch?! Who do you think picked you up?! Who gave you a shelter when you had nowhere to go?! Who gave you food to eat everyday?!"

"You did," Asia answered without hesitation, "But the Lord has allowed me to meet Ise-san, and I'm satisfied with that."

Raynare glared at my friend, "Hey you," She pointed to one of the priest, "Knock her out. I had enough of her nonsense."

The priest moved closer towards Asia.

I struggled even harder. "Don't you dare hurt Asia!" I shouted, ignoring how Raynare added more strength to her leg. "Don't you da-"

"Ise-san, today was fun," Asia said to me as one of the priest grabbed her hands, "I'm really glad that we met," She confessed before the Priest rendered her unconscious by hitting her at the side of her neck.

"Asia!"

"Asia, Asia, you're like a broken record. Shut up, will you?" Raynare said to me as she formed a light spear. "I'm going to kill you now, Ise-kun. Don't worry though, Asia will join you soon."

Asia… will join me?

"What do you mean?" Dread filled me as I heard those words.

That smile returned, that hateful smile of hers, "You mean you don't know? That's rich! Why are you even risking your life if you don't know about it, Ise-kun?"

"Answer me! What do you mean by that?!"

"Well…" Raynare giggled, "If you want to know so much… We're going to do a ritual here to take [Twilight Healing] from Asia."

"...ritual?" A ritual to take Asia's Sacred Gear from her?

"Yeah, and this ritual has a tiny bit of a side-effect, see? It won't be a great loss though, it'll just kill a useless nun."

Asia… will be killed?

Asia… that kind girl… that pure girl…

My friend.

Never. I will never allow that. Asia is, she is my friend!

She is my treasure! I won't let them take her away!

Raynare swung her spear down, in that instant, I saw Red.

 _I saw a Red Dragon, fighting against a shadow. That Dragon was losing, it lacked enough strength to wrestle against the shadow._

 _But then, that Dragon glowed, it might seem that nothing else happened, but I knew._

 _That Dragon's strength was doubled. It rose to greater height._

 _Its power surpassed the shadow and it turned the situation around with its boosted power._

 _The Dragon had slain its foe, and its eyes and mine met._

 _I knew that Dragon. I had no idea how, but that Dragon and I were connected._

 _It glowed once more, and it disappeared. No, it did not disappear. It was sealed into my hand._

 _My left hand, my Sacred Gear._

[Dragon Booster!]

"Wha-" Raynare froze as she saw my Sacred Gear transforming.

"Uwoohh!" There's no way, I'll lose like this! I haven't saved her yet! I haven't fulfilled my promise yet!

[Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!]

I raised my left fist and punched the spear of light she was about to use to stab me.

My fist met the tip of the spear and it cracked. The spear was destroyed into pieces as I felt the bones in my knuckle being torn apart for being forced to reach its physical limit.

"I will save my friend!" I shouted as I pulled my other hand, my right hand.

[Explosion!]

I didn't know how, but I know that this can only be done once. After I strike her with this, my power will go back to zero, I doubt I could do it again anytime soon. But still...

I punched the Fallen Angel in the face with all my might, sending her flying through the wall of the basement.

Even then, I knew that she was not dead. She would not die that easily.

But still…

"See…? I told you I will reach you…"

"...a human…" Her voice came from behind the destroyed walls, but the dust from the rubble obscured my vision, "My face… being dirtied… by a human like you…?" It was filled with anger and fury.

"You will pay for this, human! Your pain shall be legendary!" A spear of light shot towards me from behind the clouds of dust.

It felt to me as if the spear moved in a slow motion. The boost I received from my Sacred Gear had empowered my body, pushing it to its limits. I avoided the spear, as I knew that if I tried to deflect it, my right hand would meet the same fate as my left.

There was a moment of silence before she appeared. From the rubble, Raynare flew towards me so fast i could barely see her. When she stood in front of me, I let out a satisfied laugh for her nose was broken and bloodied.

"Don't you dare laugh at me! A human like you… A trash like you…"

She was filled with anger as she grew closer to me, with a light spear raised. I could not avoid it, even with my body reaching the limit of my human strength, I could not match a Fallen Angel.

But I was not afraid. Because I knew that he was here.

"Didn't I tell you? The moment you meet me once again, your life is forfeit, Fallen."

A wave of light collided with Raynare, blowing her away from me.

"You seem to have grown, Hyoudou Issei," Kamael spoke to me as he stepped out of the passage. "I must say, I do not know how to describe my feelings. Your Sacred Gear has fully awakened, yet, you broke your arm somehow. I suppose it is partially my fault for being late."

I let out a grin, "Then you'll just have to help me save Asia. I'm sure she can heal me."

He chuckled, "Yes, I suppose so. Do you know what your Sacred Gear is called?"

Yeah, I think. A name appeared in my mind.

"[Boosted Gear], right?"

"Correct, it is one of the [Lon-"

Our conversation was cut short by an explosion as Raynare rose from the rubble.

"You…" Unlike that night, she seemed to be filled with anger when she saw Kamael. "This is all your fault, you damn Power!"

Kamael shook his head, "You seem to be mistaken. The reason why I fought you that day, was Hyoudou Issei. The reason I am standing here, before you, is Hyoudou Issei. Do carve it into your soul as you are eradicated, Fallen. The one who killed you is Hyoudou Issei."

...wait, while it sounded cool and all, Kamael basically pushed all the responsibilities to me, right? Well, he isn't wrong though…

It seemed that being smacked to the wall again had calmed her down somewhat as Raynare just glared instead of rushing at us. "What did you do to Kalawarner? To Dohnaseek and Mittelt?"

Kamael smiled, but it definitely wasn't a good smile, it was chilling, actually.

"Are you speaking about your fellow Fallens? They are dead. Burned to ashes."

"Impossible!" Raynare shouted in defiance, but I could see fear in her as she attempted to deny Kamael's words, "You're just a single Power! There's no way you can defeat the three of them!"

Kamael sighed, "Truly, you spend a few thousand years protecting a single Tree, and nobody remembers you anymore. Perhaps I should have done more in the Great War." The Angel took out a black sword.

"Does this answer your question, Fallen?" The moment Kamael asked that, flames covered the sword. Even from where I was standing, a few feet away from him, I could feel the heat from the burning sword.

"The Flaming Sword…"

The words Raynare uttered doesn't ring a bell to me. In fact, it seemed like she was saying the obvious. I mean, the sword in Kamael's hand is a flaming sword.

"Why is the Chief of Powers here?" Raynare asked as she took a step back.

I recalled what Kamael told me about Angels, and I guessed the source of her fear.

Powers are the warrior Angels, and the Chief of Powers would be their leader. ...unexpectedly, it seems that Kamael is a high-ranked Angel. I had to wonder why he has enough free time to stick around with me, but he did say that they are jobless right now.

...wait, so I'm being protected by an out-of-job Angel? _The Perverted Human and the Unemployed Angel_ … sounds like a good title for a comedy show.

"Hyoudou Issei, whatever thoughts you have right now, I'll advise you to stop and focus on eliminating our enemies first."

The priests who we ignored up until now seemed to flinch as we turned our attention towards them.

"I will handle the Fallen, can you handle the heretics?"

I nodded, and the jewel on the Boosted Gear glowed.

[Boost!]

For some reason, Kamael's eyes went to my hand as I feel power welling up inside me.

"Your left arm is… it is not fully human anymore…" I was about to ask him to elaborate when he shook his head, "We will speak of this later."

Kamael swung the flaming sword and torrent of flames erupted towards Raynare.

I rushed towards the group of priests and uppercutted one of them, launching him to the air. I was surprised by how far he flew but since there are still more priests, I didn't get a chance to appreciate the Boosted Gear's ability.

I willed myself for a Boost but nothing happened. Surprised by my Sacred Gear's inactivity, I barely evaded one of the priest's light sword. I was thankful that the Boosted Gear also boosted my speed, as it has allowed me to keep myself unharmed as they tried to hit me with their weapons.

...wait, you guys are priests, right? Why are you using a lightsaber as if you guys are those characters from Star Wars?

By the way, I thought as I kicked a priest who tried to attack me. Those guys seem like they are quite powerful. But the speed boost that the Boosted Gear gave me allowed me to move faster than their attacks and since my strength was doubled, a single punch or kick was all it took to knock them out.

Oh, damn… They surrounded me. The group of priests managed to form a circle with me in the center. If they all attacked together, I doubt I can dodge, even with my doubled power.

I tried to will my Sacred Gear to boost me again. Maybe another Boost can help me break through them. It failed last time, but there's no reason not to try.

[Boost!]

This time, it worked. I dashed, punching one of the priest away and breaking free from their encirclement.

What a rush! The Boosted Gear doubled my already doubled power! That means I'm four times stronger than my normal power, right? Maybe I can take a job as a fighter or something?

I grinned as I avoided their attacks and kept on knocking them away. I think I can go for a Perfect Victory like thi-

"Die!"

I turned my head and saw a priest swinging his sword down behind me. I tried to Boost again but again, it failed. I attempted to evade the attack but the priest managed to cut one of my leg pretty badly. The cut won't kill me, but it does hinder my movements.

"...damn it!" I cursed. It was because I was too cocky and let my guard down. Another priest leaped at me, his sword poised to strike. I leaned my body to the side, barely avoiding the priest who stabbed his sword to where I was moments ago.

The priest attempted to continue his momentum to attack me again but before he could, I swung my right arm towards his face with all I have!

[Boost!]

My fist met the priest's face and the impact blew him away. I sighed in relief as I supported my body with my unharmed left feet. But I knew that it wasn't over yet.

"...how many of you guys are there?" I questioned them. I counted at least ten of them surrounding me.

* * *

"What are you doing?" I questioned the Fallen as she backed away from me.

"Are you trying to escape, Fallen? Do you fear for your life?"

She did not answer. Instead she desperately threw light spears towards me.

The spears were vaporized before it could reach me. I could see her hope and confidence being whittled away with each spear's destruction.

"Your kind kept on clinging to the Light, even when you have betrayed the Lord. If you believed, even for one second, that you can harm me with the Light, you must be insane."

I walked towards her, my five pair of wings opened themselves as I raised my blade. Her back met the walls, and with it, despair filled her.

"I am the instrument of His Judgment. I am Severity. I am Strength. I am the Flame that burns away all impurities. And you, Fallen, is an impurity I must cleanse from this world."

Spears of light flew towards me yet again. My Flames reacted and burned them away before they reached me. Was it out of desperation? Was it simply a futile attempt of prolonging the inevitable?

"Fallen Angel, Raynare. Answer me, do you fear the Lord?"

She trembled as she nodded her head.

"That is a lie. You do not fear the Lord. You fear death."

I brought my blade down and flames rained upon her body. She screamed as she was burned by the flames. She attempted to put out the fire but it was futile, as the Flames of Gevurah would remain as long as the sinner lives.

I walked towards her writhing body, she waved her arms, trying to create light spears to prevent me from reaching her. Most of the spears failed to reach me and the few attempts that succeeded were vaporized before reaching me.

Wordlessly, I slammed my fist down on her head, planting her face to the ground and the flames dissipated as she fell unconscious.

"I would kill you, but I believe Hyoudou Issei should be given a chance to judge you for the wrongs you have done to him."

I grabbed the Fallen's unconscious body and dragged it as I walked towards the place where Hyoudou Issei and the priests were fighting. The flames behind me dissipated as I willed it to disappear.

In that moment, I saw Hyoudou Issei's fist impacting with one of the priest's head. My eyes narrowed, assuming that he has Boosted himself multiple times so far, that kind of punch would…

As he was surrounded by the remaining priests, I prepared myself to intervene.

"Kiba, Koneko, knock them out."

…it would appear that Gremory has noticed the commotion…

* * *

I was about to fight against the priests surrounding me when a blond boy and a white-haired girl suddenly appeared and beat the priests up.

"What just happened?" I asked in both confusion and surprise.

I recognize the blond, Yuuto Kiba, the so-called Prince of Kuoh Academy. It is said that with a single smile, he managed to capture the hearts of many girls of our school.

But why is he standing here swinging a black sword around?

And the other one, the white-haired girl wearing Kuoh Academy's school uniform. I recognize her, Toujou Koneko, a first year student who is rather popular among 'certain kind' of students. They said that she is very expressionless, and looking at her punching the priests without a slight change on her expression, I agree with that.

Then that voice ordering them…

I turned my head to the entrance of the basement and my shock grew even more.

There stood a beauty with long crimson hair and clear blue eyes and beside her was another girl with equally captivating face and figure, but the other girl had ponytailed black hair and violet eyes.

These people were Gremory Rias-senpai and Himejima Akeno-senpai. The two Great Onee-sama of Kuoh Academy!

What are they doing here? Who exactly are they?

My first thought was that they were Angels, but I don't get the same feeling from them that I get from Kamael.

Fallen Angels? No, they are fighting against the priests working with Raynare.

Kamael's words came to me.

 _"This town, especially this school, Kuoh Academy falls within Devil's' territory."_

"Devils…" I muttered in realization.

Gremory-senpai was said to be the daughter of the Administrator of Kuoh Academy. If Kuoh Academy was owned by a Devil, that means Gremory-senpai is a devil too!

"Oh, you know of us?" That guy, Yuuto, asked me with a polite smile. But that smile felt fake, and I have a feeling that if I answered the question wrong, my head will roll. So I didn't answer him, instead I hoped that Kamael would be here.

But those words he said, does that mean he's a Devil too?

"Gremory," Kamael nodded to Gremory-senpai as he walked towards us, my eyes went wide as I saw him dragging Raynare as he made his way. No wait, if Raynare is defeated then…

"Asia!" I limped towards the strange cross that was surrounded by the priests when I entered this place. If it wasn't for the cut one of the priest gave me, I would be running right now.

And there she was, still unconscious. I sighed in relief when I saw her chest moving, as that meant she is alive. I was worried that the priests might have attacked her when I fought against them. I sat near her and relaxed, I saved her...

"So that's the one you mentioned," I heard Gremory-senpai say as she and Kamael walked towards me. "The boy with [Boosted Gear], Hyoudou Issei, right?" Gremory-senpai asked as she examined me.

I nodded. I was nervous. Gremory-senpai is idolized and worshiped by students of Kuoh Academy and she uhh…

...her breasts are huge.

"Good evening to you, Hyoudou-kun. I am Rias Gremory, the Devil overseeing this city."

I nodded, not trusting my mouth to speak. I figured out that she is a Devil, and Kamael mentioned that this city is part of Devil's territory but hearing them confirmed is…

"Let's be honest to each other, shall we? Hyoudou-kun, I am quite interested in you. Would you like to become a Devil?"

I paled. I remembered the time when Kamael spoke about Devils and their ability to reincarnate humans into one of them.

Flames danced around Kamael's sword as he closed his eyes. It looks like that Kamael is trying hard to remain calm.

"Umm… no, thank you," I rejected Gremory-senpai's offer.

Gremory-senpai looked a bit disappointed when she heard that but then she noticed Kamael's behavior.

"Oh, could it be that you refused my offer because you don't want to offend him?" Gremory-senpai questioned me. She then winked, "You don't have to worry about him, you know. It's not like he's your father."

I shook my head, "No, that's not it. I just think that… well… I don't really have any reason to be a Devil. And…"

My eyes went to Asia.

"...becoming a Devil when healing one caused my friend to be excommunicated doesn't sound right to me."

Kamael relaxed and the flames around the sword disappeared while Gremory-senpai seemed to be surprised but amazed.

"That's a surprise, Hyoudou-kun. I heard from the rumors that you are a pervert, but it is clear that you are a good man."

I blushed, being praised by a Gremory-senpai would be something that most students in Kuoh Academy would consider a great honor.

"But, Hyoudou-kun. Keep my offer in mind, at the very least, I ask you to come visit the Occult Research Club on Monday after school. Let's introduce ourselves to each other and be good friends, okay?"

I didn't see a reason to refuse, so I nodded. When he saw me nod, Kamael let out a sigh.

"You are too kind, Hyoudou Issei."

...now that I think about it…

"Kamael, why do you keep calling me with my full name?" Usually he would be calling me 'Hyoudou-san'.

"You…" Kamael seemed to be struggling to say it, looking at Gremory-senpai as if willing her to go away. "...you dislike me, don't you? Because of what I failed Asia Argento. I thought I should not be acting too familiar with you.."

...ah. I didn't expect that at all. I thought Kamael was apathetic to my words. But could it be that he is actually bad at socializing with people. Not that I'm an expert but…

"I… umm… well, I don't dislike you. We're still friends, Kamael. Just… promise me you won't abandon Asia and people who believe in your God like her again, okay? I'm sorry too, for saying those words to you."

Kamael nodded, relief could be seen in his eyes, though he attempted to hide it. "I do not mind, your words are true, I cannot deny it nor can I ask you to apologize for saying it. And yes, I promise not to abandon them, Hyoudou-san. No, may I call you Issei?"

Uhh… somehow, Gremory-senpai seemed excited as her eyes moved between Kamael and I. Does this look fun to you, senpai? Because I'm really embarrassed!

Still, I nodded.

Kamael smiled, but then his face became expressionless again.

"Issei, may I have a moment?"

Huh?

"First of all, your arm and leg, they seem to be injured, I advise you to ask Asia Argento to heal you."

...oh, yeah. My left arm broke when I punched Raynare's light spear, while my right leg got slashed by one of the priest. Now that I remember, the pain comes back!

"Second, it appears that you have awoken the [Boosted Gear]. Congratulations," Kamael told me with a small smile.

I examined the Sacred Gear since I didn't get a chance to do that while in battle. ...it looked cooler than before! But…

"Kamael, you said that the [Boosted Gear] can double my power until I reach my limit, right? But when I used it before, sometimes I failed to Boost."

"The [Boosted Gear], one of the [Longinus], can double your power every 10 seconds. Perhaps you attempted to Boost before the 10 seconds interval ended." It was Gremory-senpai who answered me.

"...yeah, I think I did," I didn't get a chance to count in that battle, but I think so. "What do you mean by [Longinus], Gremory-senpai?"

Kamael answered this time, "Longinus refers to the Holy Lance, perhaps better known as the Lancea Longini, the weapon that pierced the Son of Man's body to confirm his death. However, among the Sacred Gears, [Longinus] is a term referring to the thirteen strongest Sacred Gears with the capability to kill Gods. [Boosted Gear] being one of them."

...kill Gods… that sounded really amazing and scary at the same time.

"Regardless, it would appear that your left arm has… mutated, so to speak. I would assume that this is caused by the [Boosted Gear]."

Mutated? I looked at my broken arm but didn't notice anything different. It was a normal human left hand.

Kamael shook his head, "You cannot see it, as it seems that the influence is still weak. However, your left arm is no longer fully human, it contains the properties of a Dragon arm."

That… sounds cool actually.

"Issei, whatever it is that you did, it has caused the Sacred Gear to influence your body. I want you to avoid doing such thing again. You should not throw away your humanity for power, it is not worth it.."

I nodded. Well… putting how cool being a Dragon aside, I would be troubled if I suddenly grow tail and wings and become huge…

"But I wonder why that happened," Gremory-senpai joined in our conversation, "I have heard about past Sekiryuutei becoming more dragonic as they use Boosted Gear powers, but I never heard of it occurring this quickly."

Sekiryuutei? Red Dragon Emperor?

Kamael nodded, "Issei, perhaps you can tell us what happened during the [Boosted Gear]'s awakening?"

I nodded, I was curious about what senpai meant with Sekiryuutei, but I guess I should tell them what happened first. I told them that I was angry at Raynare who planned to sacrifice Asia. About how I, for some reason, instinctively called her my treasure. About the 'dream' I had with the Red Dragon and a shadow and how the Dragon entered my left arm.

By the end of my story, both Kamael and Gremory-senpai seemed to be lost in thought.

"It seems that the [Boosted Gear] was awakened by your drive, Issei," Kamael spoke as his eyes moved towards my Sacred Gear.

"Drive?" As in motivation or desire?

"Correct. I believe I have mentioned it already, but a Dragon usually recognize two kind of desires. It can be the desire to dominate or the desire to protect their treasures. It appears that your desire to protect Asia can be considered as the latter."

"...but I'm a human, right? And..." My mind flashed back to when I declared Asia as my treasure. Why did I call her a treasure? That sounded wrong, yet, right to me.

Gremory-senpai smiled, "You are a human. But you have been spending your whole life next to a Dragon. After such a long time together, of course some aspects of that Dragon would rub off on you."

...spending my life with a Dragon? "Are you talking about the [Boosted Gear]?"

"Indeed," Gremory-senpai smiled, "Inside your Sacred Gear lies a soul of a Dragon. The Welsh Dragon, Ddraig."

The Welsh Dragon… Ddraig.

"Ddraig, also known as the Red Dragon Emperor was a powerful Dragon. He and the White Dragon Emperor, Albion often fought each other in the past," Kamael frowned as he spoke, "During one of their battles, they fought near where we, Angels, Fallen Angels and Devils fought and challenged us as we attempted to drive them away."

...that sounded awesome. Two Dragons challenging three feuding armies… But since this Welsh Dragon is in the Boosted Gear now, that means...

"After a difficult battle, we defeated them and the Lord sealed their souls within two Sacred Gears. [Boosted Gear] contains the soul of Ddraig, while [Divine Dividing] contains the soul of Albion. Being in close proximity with such a powerful soul, it is inevitable that you would be influenced by it. In fact, I am surprised that you managed to stay so human."

"Most of the previous wielders of Boosted Gear, or as we call them, the Red Dragon Emperor, would often act as if they were Dragons instead of humans," The Angel added.

Hearing that I was worried, "Will that happen to me too?"

"That is why I ask you to avoid doing something like this again. Though, we still don't know what caused your left arm to transform, so all I can ask is for you to be careful."

I nodded, taking those words to heart.

"And lastly…" Kamael stabbed his sword through Raynare's right palm. She screamed in pain as she regained consciousness.

I winced, that must have hurt.

"Issei, I brought her to you to ask you this. Will you kill her? Will you kill this Fallen Angel?"

I…

What should I do?

I recalled the time when I first saw her, the moment she introduced herself as Amano Yuuma.

Our date… No matter how fake it was, I think I genuinely enjoyed it.

She said it was boring, and she did that just to kill me but…

I can't really erase the feeling of happiness I had when we went to our date.

I turned my eyes to her. She was scared, her life depended on my decision.

"I-Ise-kun…" Raynare, no, Amano Yuuma called my name. "Please don't kill me…"

That was just an attempt to deceive me. Another lie. But I…

I shook my head.

The expression on her face made me wants to vomit. It was triumph, an expression of victory. Not an expression of relief or gratitude.

"I see," Kamael's expression did not change at all. "You have made your choice, Issei. Tonight has been quite an ordeal for you, I advise you to go home and rest. I will handle her."

I agreed, but… "What about Asia?"

"Bring her with you," Kamael answered without any hesitation. Seeing my expression, which was full of shock, he continued, "The place I am staying at is not owned by me, but by my superior, it would trouble him if I bring her with me. I would rather not leave her with Devils."

...that only leaves me.

"Wait, what am I supposed to say to my parents?"

He shook his head hearing my words, "You don't have to say anything. Wake Asia Argento up and allow her to explain herself to your parents. It should be more effective than your attempt to explain why you are bringing a girl home at night. In addition, it is necessary to wake her so she can heal you, correct? Unless you wish to go home with broken arm and leg."

...well… that's true… I went to Asia.

"Asia, wake up, it's me, Issei," I gently shook her.

Gradually, Asia opened her eyes. When she saw me, she blinked, as if not understanding. Then her green eyes widened in surprise.

"I-Ise-san?"

"Yeah, I managed to save you…" I said to her with smile, "Well… Kamael and I did."

"Kamael?" She was puzzled, I wonder wh-

...of course. Kamael introduced himself as Potestas when we met each other.

"Good evening, Asia Argento. I am Kamael Potestas. An Angel of the Powers Choir."

Asia's expression was filled with shock hearing Kamael's introduction.

"...an Angel?" Asia asked, her voice shook a bit. Is she scared?

Kamael nodded, then he bowed his head, "...on behalf of the Lord and His Servants, I apologize to you. You have suffered because of our negligence."

Asia seemed troubled by Kamael's words. Seems like she had no idea how to answer Kamael. Of course, Asia respected God so much, hearing one of God's Angel apologizing and bowing his head to her would be strange to her.

"Kamael, let's talk about this tomorrow. Asia needs to rest, right?"

Kamael nodded, "Then, Asia Argento, I would like to ask you to heal Issei."

...I kinda feel that he wasn't asking. But Asia gasped when she saw my injuries. ...other than my left knuckle and right leg, most are just scratches though…

"Umm… Asia," I called out to her as she healed my arm.

Asia's hands were warm, I thought as she placed my left hand among them.

"Yes, Ise-san?"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't able to save you back in the park…"

Asia smiled, "Ise-san, you're here, aren't you? You saved me."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. At that time, I felt as if I understand why the [Twilight Healing] is called The Smile of the Holy Mother.

* * *

"Are they gone?" Gremory questioned me.

I nodded. Both Asia Argento and Issei had left the area around the Church.

"So, what should we do with them?" Gremory and I turned our attention to the priests and the Fallen Angel, Raynare.

"Before that, what did you find?" I questioned her. I noticed that her… Peerage were examining the priests as we talked with Issei before.

"Most of them had broken bones, some worse than others. And one of the priest…"

I sighed, "...one of the priest died, correct?"

It was the one that was struck in the head, no doubt. I assume that Hyoudou Issei did not realize it. The Boosted Gear power allowed him to reach power he had never imagined. As this was his first battle, he would not be able to control his strength.

Gremory nodded, it is clear that she is troubled. She is the overseer of this city and she possess the right to eliminate intruders on her land, Yet, if the intruders are humans, there is an unspoken agreement to hand them to the 'authorities' of their factions.

Hand the stray exorcists to the Church. Hand the stray onmyojis to Association of Shinto Shrines. It is a norm.

However, Hyoudou Issei had accidentally killed one of them.

"I'll tak-"

"No."

I knew what she was about to say. She would take the blame of this matter. Perhaps it was simply out of pride or responsibility. Because she felt that the Fallen Angels managing to cause a trouble in her territory was her fault. But I would not allow that.

Because it would place Issei and I in her debt. And because the fault lies with me.

I should have incapacitated the Fallen faster. Instead I took the time to break her pride and allowed such thing to happen.

"I will do it."

Flames covered my sword as I walked towards them. Most of the priests were unconscious, but the ones that were awake tried to run away.

The Fallen screamed, saying that Issei had spared her. What a fool, does she actually believe that I would allow someone who has harmed a pure human such as Issei to live?

Lightning and swords blocked their escape routes, from the corner of my eye, I saw the Queen and Knight of Gremory's Peerages standing with silent satisfaction.

"Sinners, you have feasted on humanity, not unlike Belshazzar. You have tainted this place, the House of Worship with your heresy."

The Flames that has burned down sinners since the Genesis glowed brightly as it covered my blade.

The moment I kill the sinners, I would be breaking the unspoken rule between Heaven and the Church. But I could not care less. Judging the sinners is my duty, if I can protect Issei while doing so, then there is no problem.

"And now, just like Belshazzar, _you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient._ "

The Flames of Gevurah roared as I swung my sword.

* * *

Today, I would sleep on the floor of my bedroom as Asia was asleep on my bed. She attempted to sleep on the floor but I wouldn't allow her to. She offered for us to share the bed but I refused. Not only that my bed won't be able to hold two people, I feel that I would lose something important as a human if I accidentally acted like a pervert in front of Asia.

As I looked at the ceiling of my room, I thought back on what happened today.

I befriended Asia, I would like to think that I can be a good friend to her. No, I thought firmly, I will be a good friend for her, I promise.

I reconciled with Kamael, I'm really glad that I managed to do that. Kamael is a good… 'person', Even if he is strange, he has helped me so much. I hope that he can tone down his eccentrics a bit though...

Together with Kamael, I saved Asia from Raynare.

And we met Gremory-senpai and her groups after that. She invited us to Occult Research Club after school on Monday. I wonder how that will turn out…

But my mind went back to her.

...Raynare… I spared her, but is that really alright? I mean, she could hurt other people, Kamael said he would throw her into a prison for Angels, so I guess I shouldn't be too worried.

...I… should be happy, right? Raynare was captured and she would be punished. I won't see her again.

...I guess… I should say it, huh?

 _"Goodbye… Yuuma-chan."_

* * *

 **End of 'Saving a Friend' Arc.**

 **In this chapter, there are two terms 'assigned' to Kamael that might be unfamiliar to readers.**

* * *

 **The Flaming Sword**

 **In Genesis 3:24, it is said that after banishing Adam and Eve from Eden, the Biblical God placed a Cherubim with/and a Flaming Sword to guard the path to the Tree of Life. While most consider them as a 'single' Angel (A Cherubim with Flaming Sword), because I found conflicting names for the Angel (Jophiel, Uriel and Kamael being the common ones.), I chose to depict them as two Angels, Jophiel and Kamael. Jophiel being the Chief of Cherubim while Kamael is the Flaming Sword.**

* * *

 **Flames of Gevurah**

 **For those who study the Sephirot, Gevurah should be familiar to you all. It is one of the Sephira, representing Severity or Might of God. Gevurah is associated with a certain 'class' of Angels and its Archangel is Kamael. Flames of Gevurah is Kamael's ability, just like how Rias' power is Power of Destruction.**

 **...not the same Flames as the Fires of Sinai by the way. That's Metatron's, because Biblical God uses it to announce His presence, and assuming that it was Metatron who talked for Biblical God at Mount Sinai, then it should be Metatron's Flames.**

* * *

 **Next chapter begins a new (short) Arc, 'The Sun Skipped School' Arc, which happens during the Phoenix of the Battle School Building Arc (AKA Riser Arc) of the Light Novel. My reasoning is, Riser's arc probably won't happen at that time. Since Rias should be aware that fighting against Riser with her current Peerage is suicide.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD.**

 **Warning, this story contains religious and mythological elements. The author does not mean any disrespect to the mentioned religious views.**

 **Thanks to Wrathie Winsre for the cover image!**

 **I'll be replying to Guests Reviewers here since they can't be PM'd.**

 **dragon rider: Glad you caught that part. Issei's non-stop Boost will be explained this chapter. Why Kamael killed them? Two reasons, one is to hide the fact that Issei killed one of the priest, and the other reason is because it is Kamael's job as a Power.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **Diabolus of the Old School Building**  
 ** _And a Ninja de Gozaru!_**

* * *

"Ise, look at these!"

T-These are…

"Motohama! Co-Could this be…"

"That's right," My glasses wearing friend nodded proudly, "This is Key's newest game, Rewrite!"

U-Uwoo! I wanted to scream. I just realized that the game's release date was three days ago. Because of everything that happened, I forgot about it!

Three days ago, because of various reasons, I fought against a Fallen Angel named Raynare to save my friend, Argento Asia. I left the school early that day, I completely forgot about the promise I made with Matsuda and Motohama to buy Rewrite together!

And then… my weekend was spent going out to family outings with my parents and Asia and training under Kamael. I didn't realize that I missed the release of Rewrite at all!

As I despaired, a voice called out to me.

"Hyoudou Issei-kun," In front of me was Kiba Yuuto. I might have mentioned it before, but he is know by the girls as the Number 1 Best Looking Prince of Kuoh Academy. Which explains why the girls in our class had stopped talking and start watching him.

"Yes? What is it, Kiba-san?" Normally, I would act rude to him, but since I knew what he actually is, I would rather not get into trouble. Still… I'm jealous, damn it! He's probably the type who can get a girlfriend just by smiling!

"Buchou wants to see you. Follow me." Without waiting for my answer, he walked away. Buchou who is that? ...Gremory-senpai maybe? She did say that we should see her in the Occult Research Club's clubroom.

Did I offend him somehow? I thought as I stood up and began following him.

"O-Oi Ise," Matsuda had a worried expression as he tried to stop me.

"Don't worry about me," I told my friends. I'm touched by their conce-

"Not that, you haven't given us the DVD you promised you would lend to us!" Motohama opened his hand as if expecting me to hand my DVD over.

...damn it guys!

Then Kiba stopped near Kamael, who met Kiba's gaze with his own blank one.

"You are being called too," Kiba's voice was cold as he spoke to Kamael.

Kamael wordlessly stood and followed him.

…uhh… I might not be a mind-reader, but I'm pretty sure that they don't like each other.

"Why is Kiba-kun walking with Hyoudou?!"

"Kiba-kun, you'll get infected!"

"I cannot accept Kiba-kunxHyoudou!"

"No wait, maybe it's HyoudouxKiba-kun?"

Hey! What is that supposed to mean?! What do you think I am?!

And Kamael is with us too, why am I the only one to get insulted?

And what did the last two girls meant?!

"Kamael-san is with them too! So it's HyoudouxKiba-kunxKamael-san?"

"You're wrong! Kiba-kun and Kamael-san are acting cold to each other, maybe it's Kiba-kunxHyoudouxKamael-san?"

"That must be because they are tsundere to each other! I won't accept Hyoudou being in the middle!"

...what the hell is wrong with them…

* * *

Kamael and I followed Kiba and the place he brought us to was the Old School Building.

We stopped before a door and Kiba knocked the door.

There was a sign on the door, saying 'Occult Research Club'.

...I wonder what the clubroom looks like. Since this is basically a Devil's abode, would it have magic circles and symbols on the wall?

"Buchou, I have brought them."

We waited for a moment before a reply came from the room.

"Yes, come in."

Kiba opened the door and entered the clubroom, Kamael and I following behind him.

I gasped. Even though I guessed it, I was still surprised to see the room being covered with weird symbols and words. Not only that, the room had luxurious decorations and furnitures, there are sofas here!

At the center of the room was a big magic circle. The whole room had a creepy feeling to it, but the magic circle on the center was the creepiest.

I felt someone staring at me and turned my head around. Sitting on one of the sofa was Toujou Koneko, eating a plate of youkan.

I don't think I've introduced myself to her yet so… I bowed my head to her.

"Hello, I'm Hyoudou Issei. Nice to meet you."

She nodded, "Toujou Koneko."

...well, the rumors said that she rarely talks. That seemed to be true as she did not say anything else and continued to eat her youkan.

Then I heard a sound as I walked deeper into the room. I recognized that sound. It was the sound of running water and it was coming from the back of the room.

...wait, am I seriously seeing a shower curtain? There's a shower in this classroom? No, there's a female shadow on the curtain. A girl is taking a shower there!

After a while, the sounds of running water stopped and the shadow seemed to be changing her clothes. Then Gremory-senpai stepped out of the shower curtain, fully clothed. Behind her was Himejima-senpai.

...Gremory-senpai was the one who bathed… I… my mind wandered around as I imagined the sight behind the curtain. I felt my face heat up.

"...pervert," Toujou-chan spoke such harsh words!

I apologize for being a pervert! But I wouldn't be a real man if I didn't react like that! Outwardly, I had a guilty expression as my perversity was figured out instantly.

"Welcome to the Occult Research Club, Hyoudou-kun."

Kamael and I sat on one of the sofa while Gremory-senpai, Himejima-senpai, Kiba and Toujou-chan sat on the sofa in front of us.

...I have a feeling that senpai deliberately ignored Kamael in that greeting…

"Umm… senpai, who exactly are you guys?" I asked. All I know about them is that they are Devils, and each of them is quite famous in Kuoh Academy.

Gremory-senpai smiled, "My name is Rias Gremory, a Devil of Gremory clan. And they are my Peerage. Himejima Akeno, Kiba Yuuto, and Toujou Koneko."

...Gremory clan? Peerage?

"Most of the pure-blooded Devils are members of a Clan," Kamael spoke as he saw my puzzled look, "Gremory being one of them."

Gremory-senpai nodded, "He is correct. There are seventy-two clans of Devils, called the 72 Pillars of Ars Goetia. Other than the Pillars, there are groups of Devils known as Extra Demons, consisting of Devils not belonging to one of the Pillars. Devils are divided into Ultimate-class, High-class, Middle-class and Low-class Devils."

I nodded, so senpai is some kind of a noble? "Then what's a Peerage?"

Gremory-senpai's eyes went to Kamael as if wary before she answered me, "A Peerage refers to vassal Devils who serve High-class Devils. They are associated with certain chess piece, such as Akeno, a Queen. Yuuto, a Knight. And Koneko, a Rook."

That seemed complicated, "Why chess?"

Gremory-senpai gave a shrug, "You'll have to ask Beelzebub-sama, the creator of Peerage system about that."

"Members of a Peerage possess Evil Pieces inside their body," Gremory-senpai took out a white chess piece, "This is a Pawn. With Evil Pieces like this, I can create a contract with other beings. Those who accepted the Evil Piece, become part of my Peerage."

...I think I heard about this once… Could it be that…

"Senpai," I spoke, "Could it be that humans who are given Evil Pieces become…"

Gremory-senpai seemed surprised, but then her eyes went to Kamael, "The Angel told you, didn't he? Yes, humans who accept Evil Pieces become Devils, even dead humans can be reincarnated with it."

"So Senpai was offering me an Evil Piece when you asked me if I want to be a Devil?" She asked me that when we met at the Church. I refused because I think Asia won't be happy if I turn into a Devil.

Gremory-senpai nodded. Then she smiled, "If I offer an Evil Piece to you now, will your answer remain the same?"

"Yes," I answered her. "Sorry, Senpai."

She shook her head, "It's fine. I think it'll be fun to try to change your mind, though. So I'm not giving up yet."

Change my mind? What does she mean?

"Let's see… let me start with the nun. Her name is Asia Argento, right?"

I stiffened. Why did Asia's name appear? Could it be that Senpai planned to threaten me with Asia?

"What are you planning to do to her?" Kamael spoke as his eyes narrowed. Kamael previously considered Asia as a 'bad' human, but I'm glad to see him changing his views on Asia after what happened three days ago.

Gremory-senpai smirked, "Well, I happened to see her with your parents during lunch break, Hyoudou-kun. So I greeted them."

My parents too?! I stood up, panic filled me as I considered what the Devils might do to my family.

Then the door to the clubroom opened. I turned my head and saw…

There was Asia, wearing the uniform of Kuoh Academy. Relief washed over me as I saw her unharmed. Wait… Kuoh Academy's uniform?

"They seem to be handling the paperwork for Argento-chan's transfer here. So I lent them a hand."

"Yes!" Asia nodded happily, "Gremory-san helped us out and ensured that I'll be transferred to your class, Ise-san! Gremory-san, thank you very much!" Asia bowed to Gremory-senpai who smiled and told her not to mind. "Ah, but… I'm sorry, I cannot accept your offer. I do not wish to become a Devil."

It seemed that Senpai offered Asia an Evil Piece too.

"Gremory-senpai, you scared me… I thought you did something to them. That was a mean trick."

Gremory-senpai smiled mischievously, "I _am_ a Devil. Tricking and scaring people is part of who I am."

Kamael sighed, but it was not out of relief, "I prefer your ancestor. If it is her, I can cut her down without mercy."

Senpai's smile changed, "Don't consider Devils like us as the same as our ancestors. We are different from them."

"Unfortunately," Kamael frowned as he spoke to Senpai, "I am aware of that. And I stand by my statement. I prefer her over you. At least she cannot transform humans into Devils."

There was a tense silence.

"Kamael-san, please don't be so harsh to Gremory-san. She isn't a bad Devil…" Asia spoke to Kamael on Senpai's behalf.

Kamael had a conflicted expression as his eyes moved between Asia, Senpai and I.

Even though he changed his views on Asia and promised me not to abandon her, it was difficult for him to not look at her and feel guilty. And in this case, Asia is protecting a Devil who Kamael dislikes.

Kamael seemed to be torn between reprimanding Asia and backing off. Should I agree with Asia or Kamael?

There was no need to think. Gremory-senpai helped Asia, even if it's an attempt to convince me to be a Devil, I should repay her.

"Kamael," He turned towards me in relief, "Sorry, but I agree with Asia."

The Angel sighed as his face fell, "...very well."

Gremory-senpai smiled brilliantly after seeing Asia and I defending her, "Alright then, now that Argento-chan is here. Let's do some introductions again, a formal one this time. Let's start with me."

Wait, formal introduction? What am I supposed to say?

Gremory-senpai stood up and bat-like wings appeared from her back. "I am Rias Gremory of Gremory Clan. A High-class Devil. Nice to meet you, Hyoudou-kun, Argento-chan. I plan to convince you to join my Peerage one day."

...just from hearing that, I felt that Senpai is a prideful and confident person. Like a princess, now that I think about it.

"I am Himejima Akeno," Himejima-senpai introduced herself with a smile, Devil wings not unlike Gremory-senpai's on her back. "Rias Gremory's Queen. A Low-class Devil. Please take care of me, Issei-kun, Asia-chan, ...and Kamael-san."

"Toujou Koneko," Toujou-chan nodded to Asia and I, bat wings on her back, "Rias Gremory's Rook. Low-class Devil. ...nice to meet you."

"I am Kiba Yuuto," Kiba smiled as he bowed to us, and just like the others, bat wings appeared behind him, "Rias Gremory's Knight. A Low-class Devil. A pleasure to meet you."

Then there was a silence as I realize everyone in the room were looking at me.

"Umm… me?" I pointed at myself. At Kamael's nod, I stood up. "I'm Hyoudou Issei. A human. Nice to meet you."

Asia-chan stood up next, "My name is Asia Argento. I'm a human. It is a pleasure to meet you!"

"...Kamael," The Angel said as five pairs of white wings manifested behind his back. I noticed that some of Gremory-senpai's 'peerage' tensed seeing the wings. "A member of Powers. ...it appears that we must continue tolerating each other, Devils."

...no, wait, Kamael, that's too blunt! I know you don't like Devils, but don't say it like that!

But the Devils did not react, now that I think about it… Gremory-senpai ignored Kamael in her introduction. Could it be that their relationship were _that_ bad?

"So… Senpai, what now?" I asked Gremory-senpai.

Gremory-senpai's smile disappeared as she became serious. "Now, we will be discussing your positions, Hyoudou-kun, Argento-chan."

Our positions? Asia and I stared at Senpai, puzzled.

"You refused my offer of Peerage, so, where do you stand?" Senpai's eyes watched us as if she is assessing us, "Will you be joining the Church? Become Exorcists, perhaps?"

"No," It was Kamael who answered, "Asia Argento is excommunicated, and as such, unwelcome among them. As such, I believe Issei will not join them."

"What if they come to you?" Gremory-senpai continued her questions, "What if they ask you, the Chief of Powers, to convince Hyoudou-kun to join them?"

Kamael's gaze was cold as he answered, "Let us make one thing clear, Gremory. I do not like them. I do not like any organization who harm humans and claim they act in the Name of the Lord. Should they attempt to harm Issei or Asia Argento, I will eliminate them."

"You seem to be quite a hypocrite," Akeno-san spoke with a kind smile, even though her words were harsh, "Aren't they humans too? I remember you saying that you will never harm humans when you first talked to us."

When Kamael first talked to them? That must have happened before Kamael met me. Maybe during the day he enrolled in Kuoh Academy.

"You seem to have a misconception, Himejima Akeno. Should they attempt to harm Issei or Asia Argento, as far as I am concerned, they are not humans."

With that sentence, the clubroom was silent. Kamael just declared that he would consider the followers of Biblical God, the same God that he worshiped as non-humans if they harmed Asia or I.

"Issei and Asia Argento, they are _good_ humans. They are humans that the Lord loves. Therefore, any beings who would harm them are sinners. And as a Power, it is my duty to judge sinners."

The silence continued as Kamael explained his words. Those words showed just how twisted Kamael was. I had known it since the time he called me a 'good' human, but to think that he would easily condemn others just because they would harm me or Asia.

Honestly, while I'm flattered, it is scary to think what Kamael might do to protect Asia and I. But at least I can rest easy knowing that Kamael will protect Asia.

Then, Gremory-senpai laughed, that laugh was both beautiful and chilling, as it was filled with mirth.

"I see… So that's how you think..." As she calmed down, Gremory-senpai nodded at Kamael, "Then, what do you think of me?"

"You are a Devil. That means you are an enemy. However, as you have allowed me to stay in this town and allowed me to protect Issei, I will tolerate you. However, should you attempt to force Issei or Asia Argento to join your Peerage, I will eliminate you."

Senpai's peerage glared at Kamael when they heard that, but Gremory-senpai kept on smiling, "What if Hyoudou-kun or Argento-chan accept my offer? What if they become Devils?"

"Then I am wrong. They are not humans. Thus, I will kill them. After that, I will kill you."

Those words were stated as if they were fact. As if Kamael did not even consider allowing us to live. Himejima-senpai's smile disappeared and Toujou-chan and Kiba tensed because of Kamael's threat.

Asia had a worried expression as she alternated between looking at Kamael and Gremory-senpai. On the other hand, I remembered his warning of what he would do if I ever become a Devil, so I just sighed.

Gremory-senpai nodded thoughtfully, "Then, if Hyoudou-kun or Argento-chan accept my offer, I will kill you. For their sakes as well."

The Angel returned the nod, "You are welcome to try, Gremory."

* * *

...I definitely did not expect to return from our visit to Occult Research Club without a fight. After what Kamael said and how Gremory-senpai's Peerage reacted, I thought they would attack Kamael.

But it seems that Kamael and Gremory-senpai had a strange relationship. They would throw words such as 'I will kill you' without any hesitation, and then they would treat each other as if nothing happened.

Was that how an Angel and a Devil get along?

"Kamael, can't you be a bit more polite when talking with Gremory-senpai? I thought you guys were about to fight each other," I told the Angel as he, Asia and I made our way to my house.

Kamael shook his head, "I did not kill them. That should be enough."

As I was about to speak, he changed the subject, "My superior informed me that the place for you to train has been secured. Would you like to visit it?"

I recall Kamael mentioning him trying to find a good place for me to train but it wasn't prepared yet a few days ago. So it's done?

Excited and full of anticipation, I nodded. Then I turned to Asia, "Asia, do you want to come with us?"

"Yes! I'd love to," She smiled as she answered me.

I'm curious about what it'll be like. Maybe some kind of cave? A forest? Or since they are Angels, maybe some kind of palace above the clouds?

* * *

I was wrong.

It was just an abandoned building at the outskirts of the town.

"...Kamael, this is just an old building, right?"

I questioned him. Seriously? This is the place that Kamael's superior provided? Aren't Angels supposed to be… more mysterious and mythical than this?

Kamael sighed, "...believe me, Issei. I am aware." He placed his right hand on the door.

[Password, mountain]

...what?

The Power seemed resigned as he answered, "...potato."

Mountain and Potato?!

"What kind of password is that?!" I shouted as the door opened with a heavy sound.

Is that really okay, oi?!

When we walked in, Asia and I were amazed, for different reasons, most likely.

Inside the mansion was a garden, in fact, we were now standing on dirt. A tokonoma with a hanging scroll on its wall was at the far end of the room. Aside from that, there were hanging scrolls and weapons like swords, sickles, chains, kunai and shuriken…

...wait, what?

Don't tell me… this is…

"Kamael! I see that **you** have arrived, de gozaru!"

WHAT THE FUCK?!

In front of us stood a guy wearing white ninja outfit! A ninja!

What the hell is that?! Why is a ninja here! No, in fact, who the hell is he!

And what's with the de gozaru! Who talks like that anymore!

Kamael bowed to the white 'ninja', "Metatron-sama, it has been a long time. It is a pleasure to see you again."

The white 'ninja' nodded, " **Indeed** , not since Heaven's last formal conference, de gozaru! Are **you** well, de gozaru ka?"

...are you telling me that THIS is an Angel? This… half-English-speaking ninja?

Asia's eyes seemed to sparkle as she watched the ninja, Metatron. "To think that I would meet the Voice of God! And to find that Metatron-sama is actually a Ninja! Lord, this must be one of your Blessing!" Asia prayed! She prayed because she met a ninja!

"Oh! Good **faith** , de gozaru ne!"

And wait, the Voice of God?! What the hell is a guy with such awesome, high-class title doing in this town? And as a ninja?! And why did you say 'faith' in English there?!

"Kamael, what is going on?!"

I… I just don't understand… What is happening here?

Kamael gave me a bitter smile as he answered me, "Issei, the Angel before you is Metatron-sama, the Voice of God and the Lesser YHVH. Metatron-sama secretly left Heaven a few years ago, the letter we found in his quarters claimed that he would seek training of **Ninpo** under the **Mythical Warriors** known as **Ninja**. He has been travelling throughout Japan, training under multiple **Ninja Masters** , until I pleaded him to come to Kuoh, so that he can train you."

"...what… the… hell…?! First of all, what's with that final boss-like title?! Why is the Voice of God speaking with de gozaru and half-English?! Does that mean people who hear Biblical God hears him speak like that?! What kind of impression are you guys trying to give to humans anyway?! Why the hell would he sneak out of Heaven for something like that?! And what's with that Mythical Warrior thing?! What kind of people do you think ninjas are?! Why is an Angel trying to learn ninpo?! There are actually Ninja Masters in Japan?!"

I, Hyoudou Issei, could not hold back the instinct of tsukkomi within me and exploded.

"Oh!" The ninja guy clapped his hands as he listened to me, "I never thought that I would meet a **Master** of the Art of **Tsukkomi** in this town, de gozaru. **Kamael** , for **you** to have found an amazing **warrior** such as him, I am **impressed** , de gozaru."

What the hell is wrong with you?! And it's Tsukkomi, not **Tsukkomi**! I wanted to shout, but since the guy seemed to be sincere, I kept the urge down.

Kamael also seemed to be torn between reprimanding the ninja or reprimanding me. Since the ninja guy is his boss and well…

"...must be difficult having a boss like that..." I muttered and Kamael gave another bitter smile in response.

"Metatron-sama," Kamael spoke to the ninja, "This boy is Hyoudou Issei, the current Sekiryuutei. The girl is Asia Argento, a wielder of [Twilight Healing]. I have come to ask for your guidance in Issei's training."

"Hmm…" The white ninja, Metatron, seemed to be examining me as he continued to stare.

...stare…

….stareeee….

It's creepy to be stared at like that without him blinking…

" **Where** are you looking at, de gozaru ka?" Metatron's voice came from behind me and the 'ninja' in front of me exploded into smoke. I turned my head and he was there, behind me.

...I hate to admit it, but that was actually cool.

" **Alright** , de gozaru! I shall **train** this boy to be a **powerful Ninja** , de gozaru."

...no, that's… why English?! And who the hell said I want to be a **Ninja**?!

Damn! He got me doing it!

* * *

"...hey, is this actually going to work?" I questioned Metatron, the Ninja-Angel.

Kamael told me that I should attempt to contact the Dragon inside the Boosted Gear, the Welsh Dragon, Ddraig to ask for advice on how to get stronger. When I asked how can I do that, Metatron said I must **'meditate'**.

That's why I'm here, sitting cross-legged at the middle of the Garden, wondering if those anime and manga I read might actually be right about meditation. Those martial arts manga always depict meditation as a secret to unlock or control ki or some kind of special energy. Even Goku-san did it when he went to the Otherworld.

Metatron nodded, giving me a thumbs-up.

"It's **fine** , de gozaru! I saw it in Ninja **movies** , de gozaru yo!"

...thus died my faith in the white ninja.

I looked for Kamael and Asia for support but they seemed to be in the middle of a conversation.

"...Argento-san, I did not expect you to be familiar with Metatron-sama. If I recall correctly, the Vatican does not recognize any Angels not mentioned in their Biblical canon."

Asia nodded to Kamael's words, "Yes! I learned of Metatron-sama and other Angels by hearing stories from one of the Fallen Angel, Dohnaseek-san. I asked him about Heaven and he told me many things!"

"...I see... the members of Grigori are scholars. even if he had strayed, it seems that he supported your pursuit of knowledge."

...since they seem to be having a civil conversation, I don't want to interrupt… So I had no choice but to ask the ninja guy.

"Metatron-san, how will meditation help me contact the Dragon in the Boosted Gear?"

Metatron smiled, or at least, I think he did. The facemask prevented me from seeing his mouth…

" **Glad** you asked, de gozaru! With meditation, you will **calm your mind** and free yourself from **unnecessary thoughts** , allowing you to hear the **Welsh Dragon** 's voice, de gozaru."

...that actually sounded convincing. With nothing to lose, I decided to try it.

...empty my thoughts…

Empty…

...empty…

…empty…

" _Oi, what are you doing?"_

"I'm trying to concentrate here so I can hear the Dragon's voice, be quiet."

" _...you want to hear my voice but you're telling me to be quiet?"_

...eh?

"A-Are you the Welsh Dragon?" I asked the voice, now that I think about it, the voice did not come from the outside, it is as if I'm hearing it from inside my head.

" _Oh, so you're not that stupid after all. I am Ddraig, the Welsh Dragon. And I guess you are my new wielder. ...You seem like an idiot."_

"Hey!"

" _Sorry, I'll correct myself, you seem like a pervert."_

"That's… I can't deny that," Yes. I, Hyoudou Issei, am a pervert. This, and this alone, I cannot deny.

" _..."_ The Dragon was silent for a moment before it began to laugh.

After it stopped laughing, it said to me, _"At least you are interesting. And stop referring me as 'it'. I am a male."_

...I was disappointed when I hear that. "...uu… I thought that I can see sexy Dragon lady like in an eroge I played…"

" _...yeah, you're a pervert,"_ Ddraig-san said it in a 'matter-of-fact' way.

As I despaired over the non-existence of a sexy Dragon inside me. Ddraig-san asked me.

" _So, why are you trying to contact me?"_

Ah, that's right.

"Ddraig-san, do you know how I can be stronger?" I asked him.

After a moment of silence, Ddraig-san answered me, _"I have given you a taste of my power. It was slight, but when you asked for power a few days ago, I gave it to you. Also, just 'Ddraig' is fine."_

...is he talking about…

"Are you talking about when I fought Raynare?" Memories of when my Twice Critical evolved into Boosted Gear appeared in my mind. At that moment, I recall a rush of power when the Boosted Gear shouted 'Boost' non-stop. Gremory-senpai told me that the Boosted Gear doubles my power every 10 seconds but when it awoke, it boosted me multiple times in an instant.

" _I have no idea who that is."_

"The Fallen Angel. The one I fought three days ago."

" _Yeah, that's right. When you fought her, you mentioned wanting to protect your treasures. I was a bit curious about that, so I gave you a bit of my power, in exchange for your left arm, that is."_

...Kamael mentioned that my left arm turned into a Dragon. He said that it might look like a human arm, but it is actually part-Dragon.

Since Ddraig was able to read my thoughts, he answered my musing, _"That's right. I turned a part of it into a Dragon, but since it is only a bit, your arm still looks like a human arm. If I actually turned it into a full Dragon arm, then it won't be like that. Your arm will have far greater strength compared to the rest of your body and you will have sharp claws like a Dragon."_

That's… unacceptable! "I'll never risk my dream for something like power! If I have claws, I won't be able to touch oppai with that hand!"

" _..."_ Ddraig seemed to be shocked by my words. Why would he?! That's just common sense, right? _"...you are an idiot. A perverted idiot, but still an idiot nonetheless."_

Hey!

" _...so you don't want to turn into a Dragon. But you want to get stronger?"_

I nodded.

" _That's impossible."_

...oh, so it's imposs-

Why is it impossible?!

" _Think of it this way, do you remember how many times the Boosted Gear doubles your power during that fight? When I woke up?"_

"Umm… I think it was four? No, five times."

" _That's right. Five times. Each Boost multiplies your power by 2. That means, your power is increased to 32 times of your normal strength. And that is your limit. If the Boosted Gear boosted your power again at that time, [Burst] will be called and all of your boosted strength will be stored inside the Boosted Gear."_

Huh? 'Burst'?

" _[Burst] is called when the user of Boosted Gear reaches their physical limit. At that moment, all of their boosted strength will be drained by the Boosted Gear. The energies stored inside it can be unleashed all at once using [Explosion]."_

I recalled when the Boosted Gear declared Explosion and how my fist managed to hurt Raynare.

"Ddraig, how much energy was stored inside the Boosted Gear when I used it?"

Hearing my question, Ddraig let out a laugh.

" _How much do you think?"_

I tried to calculate it. My strength times thirty-two managed to break Raynare's light spear, but I felt that it was still weaker than my strength when 'Explosion' was called so…

"64? 128?"

" _2."_

"Huh?"

" _My previous wielder died after Boosting once in his final battle. Twice of his strength was all that was stored inside the Boosted Gear when it went to you."_

Ddraig's words shocked me.

Two? You mean, all that rush of power I got was just a double of someone's strength? That was far beyond my thirty-two times strength.

"What kind of monster was he?" What kind of being was my predecessor?

" _He made a deal with me and transformed into a Dragon. He is quite average though, for a Dragon."_

...once again, I was reminded by the large gap between humans and supernatural creatures.

" _So? Do you understand why it is impossible now, boy? No matter how powerful a human can be, they are nothing compared to Dragons. With your power now, you can barely fight against a Fallen Angel. My previous host can crush a legion of them easily."_

Yeah, I get it. Still…

"I'm staying a human," I told Ddraig firmly.

" _...why?"_

...well, I don't exactly need strength that can fight against armies. I don't really want it. I'm just trying to get stronger to protect Asia. So...

"Because I don't need it. I just want strength that can protect my friends. I failed to protect Asia once, I won't let that happen again."

Ddraig did not say anything after I answered him. Did I say something wrong?

" **Marvelous,** de gozaru! To think that **you** have such a touching **motivation** in your **quest** of strength, de gozaru!" Metatron-san had tears coming out from his eyes as he suddenly cut in between Ddraig and my's conversation.

...wait, did I… say those things out loud?

I turned my head and sure enough, there was Asia, crying just like Metatron-san while Kamael seemed amused.

"Hyoudou Issei, **my apprentice**! I shall raise you to be a **Ninja** like no **other** , de gozaru!" Metatron-san declared. "And **we** begin, with **shopping** , de gozaru!"

...eh? Eeehhhh?

* * *

"...what am I doing…?" I, Hyoudou Issei, am now questioning the choices I have made in my life.

I am now sneaking around in a convenience store, carrying three watermelons, one on my left arm, another on my right arm, and one more on my head.

And I have to walk without making any noise.

...sensei. Metatron-sensei, I think that lady just let out a small laugh after seeing me.

" _Yeah, she did. You're being really pathetic here, kid,"_ Ddraig commented. Why do you sound so amused, Ddraig?!

Could it be that you are trying to ruin Hyoudou-san's reputation, sensei? What did I do to you?

And yes, Metatron-sensei forced me to call him sensei. He seem to be delighted that someone is calling him that.

"Don't worry, my **deshi** , de gozaru ne!" ...no wait, sensei, why are you saying apprentice in Japanese, but I heard that as English? How is that even possible?! "That is also part of your **training** , de gozaru yo!"

...I don't recall asking for a training where I will be made fun of by everyone.

Then Kamael came to me and placed two bananas, one on each of my shoulder.

"My apologies, Issei. However, if Metatron-sama deems it necessary, there must be a reason."

...sorry for not sharing your faith in the ninja guy, Kamael. But when an onee-san passed by us and stifled her laughter, I think part of me just died inside.

"Oh, and **deshi** , every time you drop a **fruit** , Kamael will take one of your **ero game,** de gozaru. If I recall, you store it under your **bed** and behind your **manga collection** , de gozaru ne?"

….what?

"How the hell did you know about that?!" I never met him before this day! How could he know where I hid my eroge?!

" _...what is an ero game?"_ Ddraig wondered, _"From your reaction, it must be quite an important treasure."_

Ero games are men's treasures, Ddraig. They are my memories and companions.

"I am a **Ninja** , de gozaru yo."

...no, that doesn't answer anything.

Shit! It looks like I have to concentrate! There's no way I'm letting them fall!

Then I saw Asia walking towards me, but her movements seemed strange. Wait, why isn't she stoppi-

"Ah, Ise-san, be careful!" Asia 'accidentally' crashed onto my shoulder, making me lose my bala-

Like hell!

[Boost!]

"Do you think I won't notice, sensei?! Your eyes had this strange glint just before Asia appeared!" Thanks to the Boost, I managed to stand tall against this onslaught!

"Don't think that this Hyoudou-san is that easy to defeat, Metatron-sense-"

Thud!

"...ah," Meta-sensei, Kamael, Asia and I looked at the watermelon that fell from my head in silence.

Or so anyone else but me would think, my head is filled with roaring laughter from Ddraig. ...you damned Dragon! Don't laugh at this!

"...okay, Kamael, The **first** one, de gozaru," Metatron-sensei opened his hand and Kamael took out something from his pocket. It was a box, a game box.

Tha- That's…

The Kyonyuu Fantasy I hid behind Dragon Ball manga volume 32! No, Kamael-san, waittt!

Kamael handed the box to Metatron-sensei and he…

...shattered the box into pieces.

"Nooo! Isis-chan!" I screamed to the Heaven, no, I screamed at the Voice of God! I demand to know where you are now, God! Your Voice just destroyed my Hopes and Dreams! I demand retribution!

"Oo… **yuusha** yo! Shinde shimau to wa… **nasakenai** … de gozaru..." And Meta-sensei just declared the famed 'O Hero! Death should not have taken thee!' line! Dragon Quest? Is this Dragon Quest? Is my eroge a Hero of a Dragon Quest?! And what's with that de gozaru?! If you are going to reference that game, remove the de gozaru, damn it!

Because of my despair, one of the banana on my shoulder fell.

...again, the four of us stared at the banana in silence.

Ddraig's laughter grew. Bastard Dragon! Stop taking delight in my suffering!

My traitorous friend wordlessly handed the heartless ninja another game box, this time it was the sequel of my (God bless its soul) deceased game, Kyonyuu Fantasy Gaiden.

" **Deshi** , as the band, **Queen** would say, **another one bites the dust** , de gozaru." Meta-sensei again, cruelly ripped the box apart.

"Isis-chan!" Again, she died because of my weakness again.

" _...no, she isn't even alive in the first place,"_ Ddraig said such cruel words as he saw my despair.

I swore, at that moment, that I would complete this training without further bloodshed.

" _...even if she is alive, she doesn't have any blood to be shed, you know."_

And once I do, sorry God, but your Voice might sounds a bit strange once I strangle the hell out of him.

* * *

…

"Metatron-sama, I believe that you broke him."

" **Well** … I thought it would **motivate** him, de gozaru. And it **did** , de gozaru yo! But, now deshi is slumped over at the **corner** of **Ninja Mansion** like **Joe** did, de gozaru."

"...who is this Joe you speak of?"

"A **boxer** , de gozaru."

…

"Ise-san, are you alright?"

"..."

No reply, it is just a corpse.

" _Yeah, just a corpse, probably."_

"Who the hell is a corpse?!" I roared. I'm not dead yet, damn it! I almost died by the time my fifth game got destroyed, but I'll be damned if I die without punching that damned ninja!

"Kya!" Asia was startled by my shout and jumped away in surprise.

"And why is that ninja talking about Ashita no Joe instead of apologizing! Those are my hard work and memories you destroyed!" I shouted at Metatron. Like hell I would call him sensei after what he did to my eroge!

The Angel-Ninja shrugged, " **Because** , you dropped the **fruits**."

"..." I wish that glares could kill. If it could, Metatron would be back in Heaven by now. Or, as he had slain those sinless eroge, suffer in Hell.

" _...I don't think I've ever heard of a non-Fallen Angel going to Hell before. I think it's impossible."_ Ddraig informed me. Thank you, Ddraig. But that's not the point!

"Now, **now** , deshi, let's continue to the **next** part of your training, de gozaru."

"And that is?" Kamael was the one who asked Metatron.

" **Treasure hunt** , de gozaru."

" _Ah, a fitting game for a Dragon, I suppose."_

* * *

...after making a fool out of myself in public, now I'm acting like a thief, sneakily entering a room inside the Ninja Mansion and opened each drawers and cupboards, looking for a certain something.

"If I remember right, this area is Kamael's 'territory'. Where does he hide the 'treasure'?"

"I do not hide it anywhere, Issei. There is no reason to."

I immediately threw a punch towards the direction of Kamael's voice.

[Boost!]

"Too slow, Issei," Kamael grabbed my arm and threw me away.

"Damn it!" I skidded on the ground as I braced myself for an attack.

But nothing came.

"...huh?" I shot Kamael a puzzled look.

"Why should I attack you, Issei? Have you forgotten the rules? Should you fail to acquire the 'treasures' by midnight," On Kamael's left hand was a kunai, "You will lose another game. One for each kunai you failed to acquire."

Yeah. And there were two kunais. One is protected by Kamael and another is being guarded by Asia. I have to get both of them and hand them to Metatron before the time limit.

"There is no reason for me to attack you. Rather, I will make this fair. Should you manage to punch me once, I will hand over the kunai," Kamael's words annoyed me.

What? You think I won't be able to hit you?!

[Boost!]

"Then you're going down, Kamael!"

As I dashed towards him with my hand raised, Kamael… ran away. He literally opened the door and left the room without looking back…

"...wait a second, damn it! Come back and fight me like a man!" I increased my speed as I pursued the Power.

"Issei," Kamael spoke as he ran, "Your speed right now is too slow. You should boost yourself more if you want this kunai. But you should prepare yourself, boosting while running can be dangerous."

He's right. Slowly but surely, the distance between us is growing. But I just boosted myself a few seconds ago, I need to wait before I ca- Okay, ten seconds.

" _Wait, you idio-"_

[Boost!]

My power was doubled again, and with this, I am eight times faster than usua-

"Gwah!" I tripped and fell to the ground, rolling like a ball and finally crashed to the wall of the Ninja Mansion. I clutched my head as I groaned in pain.

"...that is why you should prepare yourself. Your speed is eight times faster than normal in your third Boost. Without adequate concentration, you won't be able to control your body," Kamael lectured me as he stopped running, "Even though your physical ability is boosted, you need time to adjust yourself to that boost."

" _Listen to what the Angel is saying, the sudden surge of power that comes from the Boosted Gear can be dangerous if you don't control it."_

...no answer, perhaps this time, it might really be a corpse.

"...Issei?" The Angel's voice grew closer as he was concerned by the 'corpse's' unmoving form. "Are you al-"

"Got you!"

[Boost!]

Alright! From this distance, I'll definitel-

"Burn," Kamael's voice was cold, completely unlike his words.

Uwaa! My hand is on fire! I slammed my hand on the ground and tried to blew on it, but the fire remained.

" _Oh? The Flames of Gevurah? It is an annoying flame that can't be extinguished normally. Barely affected me, though."_

Well, I'm not you, Ddraig! I'm hurting here!

"...you should try to finish this training fairly, Issei," He lectured me again as he waved his hand, causing the fire to disappear.

No, wait! This is a ninja training, isn't it?! Shouldn't I cheat in this case?! And my hand is all burnt because of your fire!

"You should be grateful that your boost increases your durability as well. Normally your hand would be eaten by the flames by now. Though, I did lower the heat to ensure your safety."

...are you sure that you're my friend?

When I asked Kamael this, he handed me the kunai.

" _...I think that is what you humans call hitting below the belt."_

...it's for the eroge. It is for a good cause.

Then Kamael told me to get it fair and square next time.

...there will be a next time?! Seriously?!

* * *

"...Asia, hand it over to me, and you won't be harmed," I menacingly threatened the sister.

"No!" Asia hugged the kunai as she stood on a corner of the room.

"Why not?!" I was frustrated. I couldn't harm Asia, but I have to get the kunai somehow or I must prepare another grave for my eroge.

"-ause…" Asia whispered, I closed in so that I could hear her clearer, "Because Ise-san is a pervert!"

…..

Gwaaahhhh!

 _Hero Issei took 300 damage._

 _HP: 300/600_

" _...what's with those things? HP? Damage?"_

Ignoring the fact that me being a pervert had nothing to do with this. I took a massive emotional damage from Asia's words.

"You have… tha-that kind of games, Ise-san…" Asia's face was red as she attempted not to look at me. "...ga-games that have… 'that' kind of scenes… adult… scenes..."

Ugh!

 _Hero Issei took 200 damage._

 _HP: 100/600_

" _You might want to plan some strategy now, kid. Another hit like that and you're gone,"_ Ddraig advised me.

I know! I'm giving a rebuttal now!

"B-But, it's natural for a guy like me to have games like that, right?" ...right? I mean, Matsuda and Motohama also have games like tha-

"...wait, Asia. How did you know that my eroge have H-scenes?"

...Asia is definitely not the type to recognize something like that just from the cover. Though I admit that the cover was quite dangerous, Asia shouldn't be able to guess that the games were adult games just with a glance.

"...yesterday, I saw you playing it."

What?

 _Hero Issei is paralyzed._

"Yo-You didn't notice since you had your headphones on… But… But… Kamael-san and I… We saw you..."

Kamael too?! Wait, from where did you guys saw me?!

 _Hero Issei is unable to move._

"On-On the screen was… it was…" Asia had tears as she tried to say it, "Ise-san, you…"

I braced myself, here it comes. The pervert accusation.

 _Hero Issei defended._

"You pervert!" The shout was expected, that betrayed expression was not. And thus...

Uaagghh!

 _Hero Issei took 600 damage._

 _HP: 0/600_

 _Hero Issei died._

" _...now that's a massive damage."_

The impact of Asia calling me a pervert was greater than I realized, as I took a damage that would be a one hit kill even if I 'defended'.

Fortunately, after I recovered from my emotional death, Asia apologized and gave me the kunai. Though she did make it clear that she would report me to my parents if she caught me playing eroge.

...well, I think they already knew though.

Now then...

[Boost!]

" _Normally, I would say that sneak attack is unlike a Dragon, but since you're a human going up against the Highest of Angels, I guess I can accept it…"_

* * *

...after surviving through physical and emotional beatings from Kamael and Asia respectively, I returned to the center of the Ninja Mansion to hand over the 'treasures' to Metatron.

"...sensei, here you g- Ah, I slipped," I 'screamed' in monotone as I pretended to slip and attempted to stab the ninja.

" _...you're not even bothering to hide it."_

" **Naive** , de gozaru! I can see you **coming** from miles away, de gozaru!" The white ninja avoided my attack. "Boosting yourself before coming to me is a **good idea** , de gozaru. How many times have you **boosted** , de gozaru ka? **Four** times? **Five** times? Seems like you're going **all out** from the start, de gozaru ne?"

It's five.

" _Yeah, five. And if you Boost yourself again, you'll reach your limits and your power will be 'Bursted'."_

I can't Boost anymore then. But it's not over yet! I won't let my eroges go unavenged like this!

"Die, bastard ninja!"

I attacked again, and with each attacks,

After fighting a Fallen Angel to save my friend, now I'm fighting an Angel to avenge my fallen companions. ...I wonder if I'll fight Devils one day, just to complete the set.

" _Knowing a Dragon's life, I'll be surprised if you don't."_

...that doesn't sound good.

* * *

A week after that was spent with training, which, despite what Metatron claimed, was not really a 'ninja' training. I did learn some of ninja weapons such as kunai, kusarigama and trap making, but most of my training were spent with physical training or 'mental' training to help my body get used to the Boost.

Also, Ddraig taught me some of the things I can do with the Boosted Gear. After that, I told Kamael about what I can do with the Boosted Gear.

[Boost], a command that doubles my physical abilities. Can be used every 10 seconds.

[Burst], a command that will be called when I tried to Boost over my limit. At that time, all of my boosted power will be stored inside the Boosted Gear.

Which leads to…

[Explosion], a command that unleash all the stored power inside the Boosted Gear. Theoretically, this allows me to increase my power over my usual limit, but I can only use it for a single attack.

...and because of that, Metatron had a ' **good** idea!' The result of that good idea was me boosting myself to exhaustion everyday. His plan was to store as much power as possible to the Boosted Gear so I can use Explosion in desperate times.

When I'm not training, usually Asia, Kamael and I would be at the Occult Research Club's room. Kamael was not pleased by my decision to keep coming to, as he put it, 'a Devil's lair'. But he conceded after I pointed out that offending Gremory-senpai might get him kicked out of this city.

Today, just like the past few days, Asia, Kamael and I went to, as Metatron demanded us to call it, Ninja Mansion. But when we reached the mansion.

"-eed to find her, understand?" There was an unfamiliar woman talking with Metatron. The woman's hair was grey in color and her eyes were golden. Her long hair that reached her knees were strange, but what stranger were her clothes.

It was a miko outfit. With the white haori and red hakama. Well… some people might think that she was just some miko who came to this old building to purify it or something like that but not us. Even if I'm rather new to this supernatural business, I know that a miko meeting an Angel is not normal.

" **Ok** , you can **count on me** , de gozaru!" Metatron gave her a thumbs up.

The miko's face showed displeasure, "...I doubt you can find her by yourself. You have to hide yourself from the Devils, right? How can you look for her inside the city?"

If anything, that fired Metatron even more, " **Don't worry** , de gozaru! My **Ninja Training** ensures that my **Stealth Level** is at **MAX** , de gozaru. I can hide myself even from **Heimdall** 's eyes, de gozaru yo!"

...there was an unfamiliar name in there. But anyway, what do you mean hide yourself from the Devils? So you aren't here with permission? I'm not too familiar with Angel-Devil relations but isn't that dangerous?

"And who are they?" The woman pointed at us and then spoke with a frown, "They aren't normal people. One of them is an Angel, right? And the other two..."

Kamael stepped between me and the lady. "...Ame-no-Uzume, I presume?"

...Ame-no-Uzume, as in, THAT Ame-no-Uzume? The Stripper Lady from Amaterasu's Legend? ...now that I look clearly, she had a really nice body. The breasts were smaller than Gremory-senpai's but they suited her clothes and look perfectly, not too big and not too small.

I must have had a perverted look on my face because Asia pinched me. Seeing me, though, Ame-no-Uzume had a different reaction.

"That's quite a strong lust you have there," The Goddess of Dawn smiled, "I guess you know my Legend, huh?" She folded her hands under her bust, accentuating it further.

I nodded, "...sorry for being a pervert..." I apologized as Asia's pinch grew stronger.

"The boy is my **deshi** , de gozaru!" Metatron proudly declared.

"...deshi? Never mind, I don't want to know," Uzume-san seem to be able to sense that pursuing that topic would cause Metatron to grow more hot-blooded and so avoided it, "Anyway, you three, may I ask for your help?"

Kamael had a frown when he heard her words but said nothing, Asia seemed troubled but nodded. As for me… well… I guess I don't mind, so I also nod.

"Good, can you find a Sun for me?"

...pardon?

* * *

 **Before any of you say anything, this will not be a 'Ninja Issei' story (...if they exist at all). The reason why I introduced Metatron is because I need someone that can be 'tied' to Yaoyorozu (Japanese supernatural beings) faction. I assume Metatron have ties with them since he managed to study under a ninja in their land without any 'political outrage'.**

 **The second reason why I introduced Metatron is... humor. Purely because the thought of Enoch being a Ninja is amusing.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD.**

 **Warning, this story contains religious and mythological elements. The author does not mean any disrespect to the mentioned religious views.**

 **Thanks to Wrathie Winsre for the cover image!**

 **I'll be replying to Guests Reviewers here since they can't be PM'd.**

 **Guest: Hahaha, yeah. ...well... blame her legend for that. About Hikkikomori Amaterasu... well... not exactly... That's why the training is effective, though the cost is high...**

 **dragon rider: Yeah, wonder what Ishibumi thought when he made Metatron a ninja. Hmm... well, maybe someone will write a Ninja Issei story one day. And you're right. About the 'Reset', I mistook 'Burst' as 'Reset', it is fixed now. About how it stored energy for Explosion, the idea came to me when I thought about 'where did Issei's Boosted energy go when it is 'bursted'?'  
**

 **Nospheratu89: Thanks, glad that you like it. Ishibumi-sensei is awesome, I don't think anyone ever thought of Metatron as a ninja before him.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5  
**

 **The Sun Skipped School**

* * *

So… according to Uzume-san, it appears that Amaterasu-sama went missing. Seriously? First, Ame-no-Uzume appears, now Amaterasu-sama has gone missing? Are they redoing the whole Ame-no-Iwato legend? If yes, count me in! I want to see Uzume-san's famous 'dance'!

Ouch… I was pinched again by Asia. ...I really need to learn how to think about perverted thoughts without displaying it on my face.

"Honestly…" Uzume-san sighed, "Amaterasu-sama sometimes acts like a little child. In the past, she would leave the priestesses attending her and escape from Takamagahara many times. But this is the first time she ran to the human world. And she even ran to this city, an area controlled by the Devils. Somehow, just because I managed to trick her to come out of Ame-no-Iwato, I was placed in charge of finding her everytime she does this..."

...hearing Uzume-san ranting about her job makes me wonder about the image of Amaterasu-sama I had. I thought she was a motherly or an onee-san like Goddess, but Uzume-san seem to be talking as if Amaterasu-sama was a spoiled Goddess.

"Anyway," Uzume-san regained her composure, "If any of you see a white-haired girl with golden eyes, that's probably her."

"...white haired girl with golden eyes? ...Ise-san could it be..." ...for some reason, I have this feeling that Asia is about to say something outrageous, "Koneko-san was actually Amaterasu-sama?"

"...no, that's wrong Asia. It's just that the description Uzume-san gave us happened to match with Toujou-chan's appearance," I corrected her. "Besides, Toujou-chan is a Devil." And Amaterasu-sama is probably far older than her.

Asia blushed, "...I'm sorry, Ise-san. I jumped to a conclusion."

Uzume-san smiled when she saw our interaction, "I suppose giving that kind of short description won't be enough. Let's see… Last we saw her, Amaterasu-sama was wearing a white-red kimono skirt."

...huh? Kimono skirt? That's not exactly clothes that I would imagine Amaterasu-sama wear.

"Other than that, she is wearing a necklace with a small mirror attached to it."

Kamael frowned, "The Yata no Kagami, is that correct? The mirror used to deceive Amaterasu-Omikami to step out of Ame-no-Iwato? One of the Imperial Treasures of Japan?"

"Yes. For an Angel, you seem to be quite familiar with our myth," Uzume-san appraised Kamael, "And you are quiet too. Why don't you be our agent instead of this guy?" She pointed at Metatron, trying her best not to look at the white-clad Ninja Angel.

Kamael scowled because of Uzume-san's attitude, "...do not act so rudely to Metatron-sama, Amatsukami."

Uzume-san had an expression full of disbelief as she questioned Metatron without glancing at him, "What's with this red-haired Angel? I can't believe someone actually calls you with a -sama. Is he your page or something?"

Metatron shook his head, not that Uzume-san saw it, "No, not **exactly** , de gozaru. Kamael is just too **uptight** , de gozaru."

"I see," Uzume-san sounded like she lost interest in Kamael once she heard Metatron's answer.

"If the Devils learn that Amaterasu-sama entered this area without any prior announcement, there can be trouble. For the same reason, I can't enter the city," She explained with a displeased expression, "I planned to ask that eccentric Angel over there, but since you guys are here, I'm asking you guys instead. You came from the city, right? May I ask for your assistance in finding her?"

I nodded, certainly, asking us sounds like a better idea than asking Metatron. Even if he is, in actuality, quite stealthy, there's no reason to risk being found out by Devils when Asia, Kamael and I can do the job.

Kamael sighed when he saw my nod, "...if Issei wants to help, then I will lend a hand as well. I assume you will help as well, Argento-san?"

"Yes," Asia nodded, "I'll do my best."

Uzume smiled, "Wonderful!" She then handed each of us a piece of paper with strange writings. "When you find her, just rip this paper apart. You and anyone you are touching at that time will be transported to this building."

...that's… convenient.

"I originally made that paper so I can go to this building in case that idiot Ninja over there causes trouble, but it can be useful in this situation too."

...Metatron, what exactly is your relationship with the Gods of Japan? She seem to be really suspicious of you…

"Deshi, **here you go** , de gozaru," Metatron handed me a small pouch.

I opened it and saw its contents, two kunais, a long wire and a smoke bomb.

" **If possible** , I would give you more weapons but you haven't **trained** with them yet, and a **kusarigama** is too big to fit into the **pouch** , how **unfortunate** , de gozaru…"

"Thanks, sensei," I nodded at the white ninja. Though he can be annoying and heartless at times, this definitely would help me if I'm in trouble.

" **Good luck** deshi, de gozaru!" Metatron seemed to be really proud as he waved a flag with the words, 'Ganbare! Metatron no Ninja-Butai!' ...who the hell is that supposed to be?! Your Ninja Squad? The only ninja here is you! And even that is debatable!

"Now then, good luck, you three. We'll be waiting for good news!" Uzume-san waved her hands as Asia, Kamael and I made our way back to the city.

* * *

"Argento-san and Issei should search for Amaterasu-Omikami in the eastern part of the town. I will search for her in the western part," That was what Kamael told us before he separated from us. "...be careful, there is something strange going on here."

Asia and I looked at each other with puzzled expressions. We had no idea what Kamael meant. Still, we took those warning seriously, since Kamael wouldn't joke about something like that.

"Ise-san, do you have any idea where to go?" Asia asked me.

"Well…" No, I had no idea where to look for a missing Sun Goddess. That isn't exactly a common occurrence for me. "Let's just walk to the edge of the city and decide where to go from there, okay?"

I doubt it would be that hard to find her. If she is really wearing a kimono skirt, I'm sure she would draw attention, those clothes aren't exactly normal.

"Ise-san! Over there!" Asia suddenly pointed, I turned my head towards that direction and saw a girl with the same description as what Uzume-san gave us. ...unexpectedly, we found her quickly.

White hair? Check. Though Uzume-san failed to mention she tied it in a ponytail.

Kimono skirt? Check. The kimono was white while the skirt part was red.

Can't see her eyes, but I doubt anyone else would wear that kind of clothes.

...that was quick. Or so I thought, but when the girl saw Asia and I, she suddenly turned around and ran.

We blinked, and after processing the scene of a (assumed-to-be) Goddess running away from us, we immediately tried to pursue her.

"...but that girl looked like she was about our age…" I muttered as I ran. Was that really the Goddess of the Sun? She looked nothing like the statues or pictures of her in the temple.

* * *

...those humans were not like the others. One of them felt like Watatsumi while the other had presence like Sakuya.

How troublesome. They do not seem to be part of _that_ faction, so they must have been sent here by Uzume.

We had initially expected to see the Voice of God, perhaps recruit him into our plans, but…

We should lose them somewhere, preferably before they encounter that faction.

...ara? We felt a surge of energy coming from one of them, it was an energy that we are unfamiliar with. But it feels… Dragonic. We checked once more, yes, they are certainly humans. Yet the boy had a power that felt like a Dragon.

So these are the Sacred Gears that the Christian Kami made? How interesting, we never paid attention to it, but it does open up many possibilities. The boy must have been the one who used it, his physical ability suddenly increased in an instant...

It seems that they managed to keep up with us. Or at least, the boy managed to. The girl was carried by him.

Perhaps they can handle that problem? Most likely not, but there is no harm in trying.

Last we saw it, that creature was wandering around the edge of this city, trying to keep itself out of the Devils' reach.

Let us see how far can that boy go.

* * *

...at the very least… that white-haired girl had inhuman stamina… I thought as I kept on chasing after her with Asia on my back.

After a few minutes of running at full speed, Asia started to slow down, so I gave her a piggyback ride and boosted myself once so I can carry her without any problem.

"Ise-san, she is entering the forest!"

A familiar forest was in front of us. It was the forest near the church where I fought against Raynare and her group. "...back here again, huh?"

...somehow, I was reminded of Kamael's warning and I had this sinking feeling that I would be forced to fight against something soon.

" _Yeah, you probably will,"_ Ddraig suddenly spoke to me.

Ddraig? You've been quiet since Uzume-san appeared…

" _I've been thinking… That Angel is right. There is something strange with all this. I still haven't figured out what is strange, but I know one thing."_

What is it? I asked as I kept on running.

" _The girl you are chasing is acting strange. Regardless of whether she is Amaterasu-Omikami or not, she ran the moment she saw you and the nun. Why is that? That is suspicious."_

But Uzume-san said that Amaterasu-sama running away from her attendants happened many times, right? Maybe she figured out that we are here to bring her back?

" _Boy, you mentioned it yourself. Her clothes are uncommon. I doubt the nun is the first one to point and stare at her. She ran not because she figured out you are here to bring her back. Perhaps she ran because she sensed something inside you two."_

Something inside us? You mean…

" _...Sacred Gears. The [Boosted Gear] and a [Twilight Healing],"_ Ddraig's voice was calm, but there was a hint of something in it, something that I couldn't place. _"And I think I figured out why she did that. Brace yourself, kid. It's coming."_

What is co-

"GRRAHHH!" I heard a bestial roar as a giant being appeared before the white-haired girl, causing her, and I to stop.

It was a being that I had seen many times in storybooks, anime and manga of Japanese mythologies. Its skin was red, a single horn protruded from its head, a tiger-skin pants was all it wore and it held a massive spiked club in its hand.

It was an oni. And I knew that this would be another fight for my life against the supernatural the moment I saw it.

It had its eyes set on the kimono-clad girl. It seemed that it was chasing after her as well, like Asia and I.

"Asia," I told her, trying to keep my voice calm, "Get down and grab the girl. Use the paper Uzume-san gave us and get her and yourself to safety."

"What about you, Ise-san?" Asia's voice was filled with anxiety and fear.

I smiled reassuringly at her, "I have that magic paper too, right? I'll just distract the oni until you've escaped, then I'll escape too."

Asia seemed like she wanted to argue, but when I gave her a nod, she seemed to believe me. "Alright. Be safe, Ise-san."

"...yeah, don't worry." Ddraig, how strong do you think I have to be to distract it?

" _If you just want to distract it. Two more Boost should be enough to surpass its speed. But if you take even a single hit from it, you'll die."_

That's not a fun odds but… I just have to fight it until Asia escapes. I ran towards the girl.

[Boost!]

With a roar, the oni swung its club towards the girl, but thanks to my boosted speed, I managed to reach her and shoved her away towards Asia.

The club smashed to the ground, creating a small crater. ...yeah, Ddraig's assessment is right, a single hit from that, and I'll be dead.

"Oi! Shiro-chan over there!" I shouted at the girl, "Grab Asia's hand, she'll take you to safety!"

The girl eyed me with mixed expressions, like she was torn between surprise and amusement. But she wordlessly accepted Asia's hand as the nun ripped the piece of paper that Uzume-san gave her.

With a bright light, they disappeared.

I immediately took out the magic paper and was about to rip it but… The oni roared in anger as it realized that its target was gone, in its rage, it attacked me with its club.

"Damn it!" I cursed as I avoided the spiked weapon, but I accidentally let go of the paper as I did so.

" _Now this is bad, kid. What are you going to do now?"_ Ddraig asked me as I stood before the angry demon. With it trying to kill me, I doubt I can look for the missing paper. I can escape with the smoke bomb that Metatron gave me but...

"...Ddraig, what are the odds of me beating that thing?"

" _...you're joking, right?"_ The Red Dragon sounded incredulous.

"I'm not," I answered Ddraig with a nervous grin, "I'm just desperate."

I prepared myself for a difficult fight. This time, I doubt Kamael would appear to save me. No, in fact, that is why I feel that I have to fight. I can't ask him for help every time I have to fight.

[Boost!]

Three times now. Two more, and I'll be at my maximum.

"Bring it on, you bastard!" I ran towards the oni as it roared once more.

* * *

"...not here," I wondered if that Kami was telling the truth.

It was difficult to believe that the Empress of Takamagahara would come to the mortal world without any reason. Especially to an enemy's territory.

All pantheons might claim that they are allied, or at least, in neutral terms with each other, but that was a blatant lie. There were tensions, distrust between them. Especially towards the Abrahamic faction: Angels, Devils and Fallen Angels.

Among them, most factions held special hatred towards the Angels. We had widened our sphere of influence since long ago, destroying worship of many Pagan Gods and degrading them as Demons with our influence. It would not be wrong to say that we are the most hated faction out of all.

We had slain the newborns of Egypt when we assisted Moses. We had decried the old Gods of Canaan as Demons. We vilified the kingdoms of Babylon. We had demolished temples, statues of other pantheons. And in this land, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada incited a rebellion, though it was small, we had caused problems for the Gods of this land.

"...knowing that, why would Amaterasu-Omikami come to this place?" Perhaps she was seeking an alliance with the Devils? To destroy our influence in Japan? To take control of Shimabara?

As I considered the possibilities, suddenly the paper that Kami gave me glowed and a voice came out from it.

"Kamael-san!" It was Asia Argento and she sounded anxious. "Kamael-san, can you hear me?! Please, answer!"

"What is it, Argento-san?" I questioned her.

"It's Ise-san! Ise-san is…"

My frown grew as she told me about how they had seen the girl with matching the description of Amaterasu-Omikami, and how they had met an oni. Asia managed to take the girl to Metatron-sama and the Kami's location, but Issei had yet to appear following her.

That Kami and the girl talked for a moment, though Asia Argento could not understand their words, Metatron-sama then taught her how to use the paper as a communication device and she attempted to contact Issei. But there was no answer.

Metatron-sama then told her to contact me and ask me to assist Issei. Either way, seemed that this whole mess has became quite personal for me.

"In the forest near the abandoned church?" When Asia confirmed it, I nodded, though she could not see that, "I will ensure he is unharmed. Don't worry."

...truly, why would he even attempt to save Amaterasu-Omikami? Her power, especially in this land, far dwarfed any others. There is no possible scenario where she would be harmed by the oni's attack. ...but I suppose that is just how Issei is. I doubt he even considered the situation when he saw Amaterasu-Omikami being attacked by the oni.

* * *

" _...you know, why did you even try to save her?"_ Ddraig asked me.

Why are you even asking, Ddraig? I questioned the Dragon as I avoided the oni's attack and punched it, though it barely had any effect against the oni's tough skin.

She was in trouble, right? Of course I had to save her.

[Boost!]

I boosted myself again, four times now. I just need another ten seconds. I thought as I avoided the oni's arm that tried to catch me.

" _In trouble?"_ Ddraig seemed surprised by my words, _"Her? Impossible. If she is the actual Amaterasu-Omikami, she won't even need a second to destroy that oni."_

...huh? Then why didn't she do that? Instead she just let the oni attack her.

" _Most likely because using her power would reveal her presence in this city to the Devils. When she saw you and Asia, she must have thought she could use you to eliminate the oni. That's why she made you chase after her to this forest."_

I… don't get it at all. This whole Devils-Kamigami relation is beyond me. But anyway, she needed my help, right? To beat this oni? I questioned Ddraig as I jumped away from the oni.

[Boost!]

Five times now, I punched the oni again, this time it roared. Seems like my fist actually caused him pain this time, that's good...

" _Yeah, maybe. At least, that seems like her plan."_

Then there's no problem. I'll defeat it. I glared at the oni who rushed towards me, seemed like it has gotten even angrier since I managed to harm it.

" _You're an idiot. Even if you can harm it bit by bit, you'll still be killed by a single attack. You're fighting a losing battle here."_

So what? If anything, this situation is why I had to train under Metatron. I had a feeling that once I enter this world, I could never go back, and I was right.

Even if I didn't go to Metatron and ask for training, I'll probably meet some other creatures and have to fight for my life. I don't know why I'm so sure, but I just have this… 'feeling'.

I rolled to the side, avoiding the oni who came barreling down towards me. It might be strong, but its attacks were predictable.

Ddraig was silent for a moment, then he spoke, _"...yeah, that's how a Dragon's life is. We always attract enemies. With your Boosted Gear, someone will probably attack you just to get me. And if you are weak, you'll definitely be killed by the White one."_

White one? I remembered a name that Kamael once said when he told me about Ddraig. Albion?

I jumped away from the oni, trying to get into a safe distance as my mind tried to form a plan to defeat it.

" _Yeah, the wielder of Divine Dividing that contains White Dragon Emperor's, Albion's soul, will one day appear before you, and they will definitely fight you."_

Why?

" _Because that's just how it is."_

...I see. And it was the truth. I felt that I could understand what Ddraig was trying to say. It is in my nature, and in the nature of Divine Dividing's wielder to fight. That's just how it is.

" _So you do understand,"_ Ddraig's voice sounded impressed. _"I guess even if you acted like a fool most of the time, you do have a soul like a Dragon."_

I felt a rush of pride at Ddraig's words as I readied myself for another clash with the oni who is pursuing me.

"Even if that is true, that means I have to beat this thing first, right?" I could use Explosion, but somehow, I doubt it would beat this oni. "I don't have enough options. Any advice, Ddraig?"

" _Do you have any weapon?"_ Ddraig asked me.

I nodded, "I have the weapons that Metatron gave me. A kunai, a long wire and a smoke bomb." I don't have any sword or anything like that though, since that kind of weapon wouldn't fit into my pockets.

" _Then I think I have an idea. Get yourself out of its sight, now."_

I grinned as I threw the smoke bomb to the ground. Using the ensuing smoke as cover, I escaped from it.

" _Good, now climb one of the trees. Make sure it won't immediately find you, but try to keep yourself near it."_

I nodded and climbed on one of the many trees here, picking the one that seemed to have enough leaves for me to hide myself.

Soon enough, the smoke dissipated, and the oni looked around, roaring as it couldn't find me.

" _I will unlock the Second Liberation. It will unlock a new power for you, a power you need to turn this situation around. When the Boosted Gear finished its evolution, that would be your chance, use your new power to beat the oni."_

I nodded, trusting Ddraig's words. He didn't give me a clear plan, but I had a feeling that whatever power Boosted Gear would give me, it would be enough.

The oni began knocking down the trees in its rage, moving closer towards me as it did so. I held my breath and kept on waiting.

And then its club struck the tree beside mine.

" _Now!"_

[Dragon Booster Second Liberation!]

A green light washed over my left hand as the Boosted Gear transformed. In the span of seconds, the Sacred Gear sent me information on how to use it.

I took out a kunai from my pouch and jumped.

[Transfer!]

I felt the boosted power inside me disappearing and entered the kunai in my hand, as gravity pulled me to the ground, towards the oni, I swung the kunai.

[Boost!]

The kunai cut the oni's face, right on the eyes easily, as if the thick skin of oni that prevented me from damaging it did not exist.

The oni roared in pain as it was blinded by my attack. It swung its club wildly as it attempted to strike me down.

But with this empowered kunai… I swung the kunai towards the spiked club, and the oni's weapon was cut cleanly into two.

"Got you!" I continued my attacks, first by cutting one of the oni's hand. The oni's scream was filled with pain and anger as it attempted to punch me with its left hand, its only remaining hand.

I avoided the attack and swung the kunai again, ripping its left hand from the middle. Its shout of pain should be horrifying for me, but all I felt was the rush of battle, the desire to defeat my opponent.

" _End it!"_ Ddraig roared from the jewel of the Boosted Gear.

I dashed towards the oni and cut its right leg, causing it to fall to the ground, then I jumped towards the oni who writhed around in pain and stabbed the kunai into its head.

[Boost!]

The kunai went on even deeper as it continued to thrash around and I kept on twisting the kunai until the oni finally stopped moving.

...I… won…

I actually won against the oni… I thought as I pulled the kunai out of its head.

...I should be… glad, right? Proud? And indeed, some part of me felt that. The part that I felt Ddraig would have approved but…

I vomited to the ground as I saw what I have done.

The oni had lost one of its hand and its leg. Its left hand was torn into two from its palm to its shoulder. The area around its eyes, including the eyeballs themselves were cut into two…

...I…

...I killed it… no, he was not an it. He was alive… but I killed him…

I could have escaped, I could have retreated but… just to test my strength. Just to grow stronger… I killed a living being.

"...this is…" I heard Kamael's voice coming from behind me but I could not think anymore as I fell to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

"Kamael has found him, de gozaru! They are now **returning** , de gozaru yo!"

I sighed in relief when I heard the ninja angel's words. I couldn't imagine how I would feel if I learn that the boy was killed because of my request.

"O Uzume, you seem relieved," Omikami-sama spoke to me as she sipped the tea that was prepared by the ninja. "Might you have some interest in that human?"

I frowned, "That's not a funny joke, Omikami-sama. I am already married."

If anything, the Sun of Takamagahara seemed amused, "Truly? We had thought that you possess no feeling for that monkey. Was yours not a marriage of convenience?"

My frown grew, honestly, Omikami-sama's words were true. I married Sarutahiko-Ookami not because of love, but to convince him to pledge his loyalty to the Amatsukami.

That doesn't mean I will not be loyal to him, that is the least I can do for the man I deceived.

"Let us put that matter aside, then," Omikami-sama's eyes were blank as she spoke, "Why are you here?"

...that's… a strange question.

"Of course I am here to bring you back, Omikami-sama. Takamagahara lost its Sun the moment you leave, there are chaos everywhere as Takamimusubi-sama held an emergency meeting."

I had never seen so many Gods in one place before. Even Omoikane-sama stepped out of his library to attend the meeting.

Omikami-sama smiled, it was both elegant and haunting, "We see… Tell us, Uzume, who were absent from that gathering?"

...another strange question. Could this be related to the reason why Omikami-sama left Takamagahara and travel to this town?

"To the best of my knowledge, Tsukuyomi-sama did not attend, neither did Susanoo-sama. Also, Mikaboshi-sama and Takemikazuchi-sama were not present. Also..." I hesitated for a moment, "...Totsuka-sama was not present."

Omikami-sama nodded, "The Samurai, the Jashin, the Kamigoroshi, our reclusive brother, and that fool… How amusing…"

"...excuse me, Omikami-sama, may I ask what do you mean by that?" My eyes narrowed, there must be something going on in Takamagahara, something that caused all of this.

Omikami-sama waved her hand, as if dismissing me, "Nothing you need to be concerned with, Uzume. We have a task for you to accomplish."

...though displeased by her avoiding my question, I bowed, an order from Omikami-sama is the highest priority of all Amatsukami.

Omikami-sama seemed pleased by my reaction and she was about to speak when the red-haired Angel entered the room, carrying the boy on his back.

"We shall continue this later, Uzume."

* * *

I opened my eyes and saw my friends' worried faces.

"...Asia, Kamael…" I muttered as I sat up on… a bed?

"Where am I?" I questioned them as I looked around me. It certainly wasn't a room in my house.

"Metatron-sama's place," Kamael answered me, "I brought you here."

Brought me here? What does he mea-

"We see that you are awake," I heard an unfamiliar female voice. I turned towards the direction of the voice, a white haired girl sat on a chair beside Uzume-san and Metatron. "Allow us to offer you a word of praise, human. For you have slain an oni. A lesser oni, yet, it was still an impressive feat."

An… oni…?

Memories of my battle with the oni came back to me and I paled.

"...I killed him?" ...I really killed the oni?

"Indeed you did, de gozaru!" Metatron nodded, confirming it, "Kamael reported that he found you near a **corpse of an oni** , de gozaru. It must have been a **difficult battle** , but you managed to **prevail** , de gozaru!"

...how could he act like that? Being proud of me killing that oni…

Uzume smiled, "It was impressive. I heard from the ninja idiot here that you just started training under him last week? For a human, you have shown quite an amazing growth."

...how could they… be so unconcerned?

"...I killed a living being…" I muttered, Asia who heard my words shot me a concerned look, "So why the hell do you guys look so happy?!" I shouted at the three beings before me.

The one who answered was the girl I 'saved', "Should we not be?" She questioned me, "You have triumphed over your adversary and returned relatively unharmed. We fail to see any problem."

"The problem is that I killed someone!" I answered her fiercely, "And who the hell are you?!"

The girl seemed amused by my words, "Ara? Were you not looking for us? We are Amaterasu-Omikami."

...ah, that's right… the whole reason I met that oni was because I went looking for her…

"And we would like to correct your misconception, human," The Sun Goddess spoke to me once more, "You did not kill 'someone'. You killed an enemy. The death of an enemy is a frequent sight in a battle."

"But-"

"What, pray tell, will you do then, human? That beast attempted to kill you, did it not?" Amaterasu-Omikami's eyes were cold as she questioned me.

"I could have escaped," I argued. "I don't need to kill him."

"Escape?" One of Amaterasu-Omikami's eyebrow rose, "What will you do after you escape, human? Will you keep running from your battles? A tactical retreat is a sound strategy, however, running away from battles you must face is not. It is inevitable, you must fight and kill to stay alive in this world."

I glared at her, I could not accept that, I would not accept that.

"Issei," Kamael spoke from my side, "I know that this is all new for you, but to beings like us, killing is conventional. It is hardly something that we bat an eye at."

Even Kamael… are they, are you all really that different from humans?

"Boy," This time it was Uzume who spoke, "Why did you even fight it then? You said you could have escaped. Then why did you even bother fighting it?"

"Because…" Because I wanted to test myself, because I don't want to be protected by Kamael every time there is a fight. ...but can I really answer that? Those reasons are selfish. The reason I fought against the oni was because of my selfishness.

When she saw me unable to answer she continued, "If you can't answer me, then that's fine. But what did you expect would happen when you fight him? You thought you can just injure him and he would retreat? Is that it? In fact, from what that Angel told us, you killed him after disabling him, correct? Why did you do that? Why not just leave the oni alive?"

Because…

"Because it is in your nature," It was Metatron who answered, but his voice was soft, unlike his usual self, "The moment you receive the Boosted Gear, you are no longer a complete human, but also a Dragon. To dominate your enemy and to slay them to prove your strength is part of your nature, both as a human, and as a Dragon."

"While it is true that humanity possess similar instincts, they have managed to restrain such urges as their civilization advanced, Dragons, on the other hand, still possess those primal urges."

...I… I looked at the Boosted Gear attached to my left hand. ...am I really not human, Ddraig?

" _Even though your body is human, your soul most likely isn't. my past wielders showed traits not unlike Dragons,"_ Ddraig answered me and it was not an answer I wanted to hear.

"Issei," Kamael spoke to me again, "If you don't want to kill, then it is fine. You don't have to. I will do it instead."

"No!" I shouted at him. That, I can't accept. I don't want to kill but having my friend kill on my behalf is… "...don't do that."

...I… what should I do? I had entered this world and after what happened with Raynare, I thought I understood what it meant. But…

Amaterasu-Omikami looked at me with pity, "Human, someone such as you is not suited to be a warrior, much less a Dragon. Yet you are trapped inside the role of one."

...trapped?

"...it is a pity," She continued, "Though you had such potential, your feelings held you back. It appears that we must make you understand."

Make me understand? What did she mean?

"You, Angel," She pointed at Kamael, "You claim that you can kill for this human's sake. And he forbid you to do so. But what will you do should a being appear and attempts to harm him?"

"I will kill them," Kamael answered without any hesitation. Even though I told him not to, he still answered like that. "Issei, no matter what you have said, if someone threatens you, then they are enemies to be eliminated."

"And now, hearing that, human," Amaterasu-Omikami returned her attention to me, "What will you do? You are a special existence, that weapon inside your soul had made you special. There are many who will attempt to harm you and this Angel has made his intention clear. Knowing that, will you keep living with your eyes closed? Your ears covered? Must this Angel kill for your sake until the day either one of you die?"

"...no." I shook my head, "Kamael shouldn't kill for my sake." This, I know for a fact.

"Then, what will you do to those who threaten you?"

"I will beat them, but I won't kill them. Even beings like you have prisons, right? I'll just have to imprison them."

"And if those cages cannot hold them and they return? What will you do if they seek vengeance?" She questioned me again.

"Then I'll beat them again. And if they come back again, I'll beat them again. I'll keep doing it until they give up."

But she wasn't done yet, "Have you not already proven with the oni, that it is impossible for you to resist your urge? Your instinct to kill? During your countless battles, you might lose yourself and kill again."

That feeling will definitely return. That rush I felt during battle will definitely come to me. Still… "It won't happen again. I won't let it control me again."

My defiant eyes met her amused ones. "Is that so? Then so be it, human. Continue your struggle, your endless clash against yourself. Allow us to see how far your struggle will take you. Whether you will be a Human or a Dragon by the end of your path, we shall witness it, this fact, Amaterasu-Omikami promises you."

I nodded, I won't lose. I definitely won't lose again to 'myself'.

* * *

"So? After saying that you left the human boy?" Our priestess questioned us within our chamber in the Heavenly Plains' palace.

We nodded, "Indeed. Though, we left Uzume with him. We have instructed her to contact us should something happen to him."

The miko sighed, "Making her do something as mundane as that… I pity Uzume, really."

"Truly?" We had to question that.

She shook her head, "That was a lie, obviously. I pity myself more for having to deal with you. I even died for you, remember?"

"Of course we remember, our priestess." Indeed, we had to demand her soul back from Izanami. She is such a troublesome priestess.

"Despite that, you haven't named me yet," The nameless priestess let out another sigh, "Anyway, what was your real reason for leaving Uzume with that human?"

We laughed, indeed, this one does know us well. "The reason we gave her is for her to recruit the boy to our side. After all, it would be a pity if a being of such potential joined the Angels instead."

She nodded in understanding, "And your unspoken reason?"

We smiled, "You know the reason, nameless one."

"Ah, so you don't trust her," When she saw our nod, she continued, "Still… why the interest in that human? I doubt it's only because he has potential to be strong."

"Indeed not. Perhaps we were charmed by that human. Watching him foolishly risking his life to save ours against the oni was quite a novel experience."

...the priestess had a disgusted face, "Disgusting," Ara, she actually said it, "I highly doubt there are any truths in those words."

We let out a laugh of amusement. Truly, creating her, both in personality and appearance, based on us was an excellent decision. "Let us put that matter aside, Give us your report."

The miko nodded, "The rebels had shown themselves and were planning to ambush you once you reach the outskirts of the Devils' city. Yasaka and Takemikazuchi launched a joint assault and routed them."

Then that oni must be their scout, it seems that using ourselves as a bait worked perfectly, "What of their master?"

"Unfortunately," The priestess shook her head, "He was not sighted among the enemy ranks, it appears that he is more cautious than we had expected."

It is indeed, unfortunate. Still… the destruction of his army should hinder his movements, "Whatever his plan will be. It is clear that it will involve that city. We simply need to wait."

The priestess nodded, "I suppose you are right. It seems that Uzume will have a _fun_ vacation there."

"What of the Kamigoroshi?"

When the priestess heard that name, she frowned, "Totsuka-sama is still missing, unfortunately. He is as free spirited as ever…"

We smiled, that is acceptable. The Kamigoroshi's presence would help our plan immensely, but with that human around, he is not a necessity. Our mind ran through the plans we had made, adjusting it to utilize that human to his utmost potential.

* * *

 **Chapter End.**

 **It has been a while but I will be explaining several things about the Kamigami/Yaoyorozu faction in Deuteronomy.**

 **First of all, the faction itself. Just like Abrahamic/Biblical Faction, Yaoyorozu contains several 'smaller' factions, Amatsukami, Kunitsukami, Yomotsugami, Tsukumogami, and Youkai.**

 **Amatsukami: Heavenly Gods, most of them follow Amaterasu-Omikami and they live in Takamagahara.**

 **Kunitsukami: Land Gods, each of them are 'lords' of their own areas, but they do have 'leaders'. Those 'leaders' are Okuninushi-no-Kami, Sarutahiko-Okami, and Konohana-Sakuyahime. They live in Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni, which is basically another way to refer Japan.**

 **Yomotsugami: Hellish Gods, only one is named I believe, Izanami-no-Mikoto. They live in Yomi.**

 **Tsukumogami: Artifact Gods. There are a lot of them, but the notable ones that will/might appear in Deuteronomy are: Ame-no-Totsuka, Ama-no-Murakumo, Ame-no-Nuhoko, Yata-no-Kagami, Yasakani-no-Magatama, and Futsunushi-no-Kami. Their 'real' form are their artifacts, but they can appear as 'humanoid' Kami. They are... everywhere.**

 **Youkai: ...you know them, supernatural creatures or as some put it, demons, basically Kami who are 'feared' instead of worshiped. There are many races of them. They live in Ashihara-no-Nakatsukuni like Kunitsukami.**

* * *

 **A bit of explanation in their relationship.**

 **Simplest one is that other Kami don't get along with Yomotsugami, because they are 'impure'. As seen by how Izanagi ran away from Izanami when he 'visited' her in Yomi and how he had to purify himself after returning from Yomi.**

 **Amatsukami look down on other kind of Kami, as shown by how they subjugated Japan that was formerly under Kunitsukami's rule, they consider Youkai as lower beings, and they consider Tsukumogami as tools. ...if you want to put it in a single word, they are nobles.**

 **Kunitsukami live with Youkai in Nakatsukuni, so they at least tolerate each other. Kunitsukami's position towards Amatsukami is... complicated. Some hates Amatsukami for beating/invading them, some serves Amatsukami. They are neutral to Tsukumogami.**

 **Youkai generally don't get along with Amatsukami who look down on them, they get along more with Kunitsukami and they are friendly with Tsukumogami since Tsukumogami sometimes are considered as Youkai.**

 **Tsukumogami... have no allegiance with each other, so each of them have differing views on other factions. But they generally follow those who 'own' them. Such as Totsuka following Izanagi, Murakumo, Yata and Yasakani following Amaterasu and so on.**

* * *

 **Next part, the 'nameless priestess'.**

 **...she is a character that is based on the miko who Susanoo killed during one of his rage. She was a servant of Amaterasu, her death caused Amaterasu to hide in Ame-no-Iwato, starting Uzume's rather well-known legend.**

 **In Deuteronomy, Amaterasu revived her after that legend and her appearance and 'base' personality is the same as Amaterasu since Amaterasu made her based on Amaterasu's own image.  
**

* * *

 **Last part, the named Kami.**

 **A lot of people know Amaterasu and Susanoo. Some know Uzume and Tsukuyomi. But some of the names above might be unfamiliar to most people, so I will list them. This will be long. The ones listed in the first part are those that will definitely appear in Deuteronomy. The second part... well, they might appear.**

 **Amaterasu-Omikami: Amatsukami. Empress of Takamagahara. Goddess of Sun. You've seen her this chapter.**

 **Ame-no-Uzume: Amatsukami. The Great Persuader. Goddess of Dawn and Kagura. You've seen her too. Easiest way to learn about her is to search about her legend concerning Amaterasu and searching information about Sarutahiko-Okami.**

 **Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto: Amatsukami. God of Moon.**

 **Takehayasusanoo-no-Mikoto: Amatsukami. Better known as Susanoo. God of Storm. Search Orochi's legend.**

 **Amatsu-Mikaboshi: Amatsukami. God of Chaos. His title is Jashin (Evil God). Think of him as Shinto's version of Loki or Eris.**

 **Takemikazuchi-no-Kami: Amatsukami. God of Thunder and General of Amatsukami. His title in Deuteronomy is 'Samurai' since he is considered as one of the strongest Kami in swordfight. One of Amaterasu's servant.**

 **Ame-no-Totsuka: Tsukumogami. The sword used by Izanagi to slay Hi-no-Kagutsuchi and used by Susanoo to slay Yamata-no-Orochi. His title is Kamigoroshi (Godslayer). Currently missing.**

 **Ama-no-Murakumo: Tsukumogami. Better known as Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. The sword found by Susanoo after slaying Orochi. Her (Yes, 'her') title is Kenkoroshi (Swordslayer. Since she managed to destroy Totsuka). Currently missing.**

* * *

 **...I'll suggest you guys to skip this if you aren't interested. This part contains Kami that might or might not appear in Deuteronomy: Ein.**

 **Okuninushi-no-Kami: Kunitsukami. Creator of 'Japan' (as a country). Susanoo's great-great-great-(God knows how many)-grandson and his son-in-law (...best not think about it too much). After Amatsukami subjugated Japan, Amaterasu gave him a temple in Izumo and made him Lord of Spirits.**

 **Konohana-Sakuya: Kunitsukami. Goddess of Fuji and Sakura. Bluntly speaking, the only Goddess who is worshiped as much as Amaterasu in Japan (...mostly because of mount Fuji and Sakura tree). Amaterasu's granddaughter-in-law.**

 **Izanagi-no-Mikoto: Amatsukami. Amaterasu's father. Creator of Japan. Currently missing.**

 **Izanami-no-Mikoto: Yomotsugami (Formerly Amatsukami). Izanagi's sister and wife. Died and become the big boss of Yomi.**

 **Takamimusubi-no-Kami: Kotoamatsukami. Emperor of Takamagahara before Amaterasu. Izanagi's big brother. Right now he is enjoying his retirement but sometimes get called to act as a leader when Amaterasu is away.**

 **Omoikane-no-Kami: Amatsukami. God of Wisdom. Takamimusubi's son. The Strategist of Takamagahara. Rarely leaves his library.**

 **Sarutahiko-Okami: Kunitsukami. One of their leader. When Amatsukami invaded Kunitsukami, he fell in love with Uzume and his 'clan' betrayed the other Land Gods. ...well, since Amatsukami are considered 'heroes' in that legend, he is portrayed rather positively...**

 **Yata-no-Kagami: Tsukumogami. The mirror that made Amaterasu's narcissism apparent (...since she got transfixed by the sight of her own beauty reflected in Yata-no-Kagami). Currently in 'artifact' form and being used by Amaterasu as an accessory.**

* * *

 **Next chapter begins the Excalibur Arc.  
**


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD.**

 **Warning, this story contains religious and mythological elements. The author does not mean any disrespect to the mentioned religious views.**

 **Thanks to Wrathie Winsre for the cover image!  
**

 **I'll be replying to Guests Reviewers here since they can't be PM'd.**

 **dragon rider: It's actually easier in Japanese. Okuninushi, for an example, literally means Great Land Master. He is the leader of Land Gods, so his name doubles as both his 'position' and name. Starting from now, I'll add the name of the character when I change POVs. I'll add the names on the previous chapters later.  
**

 **This chapter has been Beta'd by Wrathie Winsre.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 **Exorcists and The Holy Swords**

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

...I'm bored.

That was my thought as I ignored the teacher who droned away in front of the class. I turned my head slightly and my eyes met Asia's. She was completely absorbed in listening to the teacher, though her expression would fall whenever the teacher would write something on the board.

...even with Kamael's 'spell', I guess it is difficult for a foreigner to learn Kanji. Especially since she has to learn a lot of them at once. The way she kept on trying hard is kinda cute though...

Asia transferred to Kuoh Academy earlier this week, a few days after we first met Uzume-san and Amaterasu-Omikami-sama.

...thinking about them made me remember what happened that day, the day I killed the oni. Since then, I've been asking Kamael and Metatron-sensei to train me so I can control that 'urge' to kill. Unexpectedly, Metatron-sensei told Kamael to take me to Gremory-senpai instead, and after discussing my problem with Gremory-senpai, she took me to one of her Peerage's Stray Devils hunt.

Stray Devils… They are Devils who left their masters, Gremory-senpai said that if left alone, they can become threats, which is why the Devils had a custom of eliminating Stray Devils on sight.

...to be honest, I don't know if I agree with that, I doubt that all Devils are good 'people', there might be some Stray Devils who 'strayed' because they believed their master to be evil. I didn't voice this opinion to Gremory-senpai since I was afraid it would offend her, but I did tell Kamael about it.

Even though I had such opinion, I still 'used' Stray Devils for my training. I would fight them and beat them without killing them.

When I fought them, the 'instinct' to kill them came to me, but it's… a lot weaker compared to the time when I fought the oni.

" _That's probably because you don't feel the same desperation as that time."_

What do you mean, Ddraig?

" _In those hunts you've been having, even if you are defeated, you'll be saved by your allies, right? In that fight against the oni, losing will mean your death, a kill or be killed situation."_

...I guess that explains it. I mean, not all of my fights ended with me being victorious, I had to be saved by Gremory-senpai's Peerage several times… But it is not as 'dangerous' as it was when I fought the oni.

I really don't mind being saved by Himejima-senpai or Gremory-senpai, but being saved by Toujou-chan kinda hurts my pride as a senpai and being saved by Kiba annoyed me since he is an ikemen.

And then two days ago, Kiba and I had to work together and we met with someone unexpected...

" _...uhh, Senpai, are you sure that this is alright?" I questioned Gremory-senpai who smiled cheerfully as she pushed Kiba and I towards an abandoned office building._

 _She nodded, "Yes, think of this as a bonding experience between you two, okay?"_

 _...no, Gremory-senpai, I'm pretty sure my 'bonding experience' doesn't involve me fighting against a Stray Devil. I prefer to discuss about a series or a game we both like or something like that. That aside, I did went through this kind of 'bonding experience' with Toujou-chan yesterday. I'll state it again, I prefer to talk about hobbies than going through a life or death situations._

" _Let's go, Hyoudou-kun," Kiba spoke to me with that fake smile of his. ...I'm pretty sure that you aren't fooling anyone here, so why do you keep smiling like that?_

 _I nodded and we both entered the abandoned building. Even if there were only two of us, I wasn't too worried. I mean, Kiba's Sword Birth was quite awesome. The capability to create swords with varying abilities… If I had that, I'll definitely use it to create a sword that can break the clothes of girls. And I'll probably name it Dress Breaker, or maybe Dress Slayer._

 _...ah, my imagination distracted me for a moment there. ...well, that aside, there are too many abandoned buildings in this city. A few days ago, we had to fight in an abandoned factory that was used by another Stray Devil as her base._

 _Maybe I'm thinking about this the wrong way? What if it was abandoned because of Stray Devils?_

" _Hyoudou-kun," I turned towards Kiba, "Focus. We don't know where the Stray is. It might be watching us as we speak. We don't want a repeat of yesterday, do we?"_

 _I shook my head and my body tensed. ...yesterday, there was a Stray Devil who ambushed me just as I entered his territory. I was caught in some kind of magical prison and Gremory-senpai had to save me. ...honestly it was embarrassing, I didn't even manage to fight against the Stray Devil before he beat me._

" _That's goo-" Kiba's words were cut off by a scream. We both looked at each other and wordlessly ran towards the direction of the voice._

 _What greeted us was a gruesome sight, a room covered in blood and the Stray Devil being stabbed by a sword of light by a madman._

 _I recognized that madman, he had that insane smile the first time I saw him too. I was surprised that he managed to survive, especially since Kamael was the one who fought him._

 _The Stray Exorcist who worked with Raynare… Kamael told me his name was..._

" _Freed Sellzen…" I called out his name._

" _Hm?" He turned towards me when he heard that. "Oh? Aren't you that shitty human I saw when I worked with that bitchy Angel?"_

 _I nodded, keeping my body tense, there's no telling when he will attack us. "You're still here? I thought Kamael defeated you."_

 _Hearing that Freed grinned, "Yeah, that damned Angel got me real good!" Freed turned his head, allowing Kiba and I to see burnt marks on the right side of his face. It was definitely Kamael's doing, "I survived though! And I'm here for revenge! Vengeance, you know! I want to beat that high and mighty Angel so bad!"_

" _...revenge?" Kiba had a frown as he kept his eyes on Freed._

" _If your target is Kamael, why did you kill that Devil?"_

 _Hearing my question, Freed had a puzzled expression, "...you're an idiot, aren't you? Why do I need a reason to kill monsters?" His mad grin returned, "That's why I joined the Exorcists in the first place! I don't give a fuck about God. I just want to kill! Since killing humans can get me into trouble back then, I had to kill monsters instead. Yeah…"_

 _Freed's eyes went to Kiba and his grin widened, "...monsters like you!" The stray exorcist disappeared._

 _I heard a clang from my side, causing me to whip my head and saw Kiba wielding a jet-black sword against Freed's strange sword. It had a wavy-blade and it seemed to glow with strange light._

 _I didn't recognize that sword, but evidently, Kiba did as his face showed something that I had never seen in him. Hatred._

" _Excalibur…" If a glare could kill I'm sure that Freed would be buried by now._

 _[Boost!]_

 _I threw a punch towards Freed who disappeared, just like before, and reappeared a few feet away from us._

" _Huh? You're helping that monster, idiot?" Freed asked me as if he was honestly surprised by my action._

" _...Kiba, any idea how he did that teleportation thing?" I ignored the priest and questioned Kiba instead._

" _...it wasn't a teleportation," Kiba answered me, and even though he sounded calm, I could still see hatred and anger in his eyes, "The sword he is wielding, Excalibur Rapidly, grants its wielder enhanced speed and reflexes. He moved in a speed that you couldn't follow, that's why it seemed like teleportation to you."_

… _I wondered what that Excalibur 'Rapidly' thing was, but for now, I should focus on beating this priest._

" _Any ideas, Kiba? How about that boost of speed from Knight Piece you have?" When Gremory-senpai first showed me the extent of Kiba's speed, I was astonished, it was definitely on the level where I wouldn't be able to touch him in a fight._

" _I used it to deflect his attack before. Even with Knight, my speed is still lower than his."_

 _...that's bad._

" _Should we retreat?" I asked Kiba, but the one who answered was Freed._

" _No, no, no! You guys can't run away! I really want to kill you two! If I kill you, that Angel will probably come to kill me, right? Then I can kill him as well!"_

 _Ignoring Freed, Kiba answered me with a smile. It was not the fake smile he used to wear, and it definitely wasn't a resigned smile._

 _It was a happy smile, an expression of someone feeling joy beyond anything else._

" _Retreat? Hyoudou-kun, what are you talking about? Before me is my enemy, the reason why I keep on living. How can I retreat? How can I do that when the murderer of my friends is in front of me?"_

 _It was creepy, especially since he had such a happy expression as he said those words. But…_

 _...I don't think he's talking about Freed. His eyes kept on staring at the sword in Freed's hands, that Excalibur 'Rapidly'._

" _Hyoudou-kun, if you want to retreat, then feel free to do so. I will be staying here," Kiba told me easily. If it was any other situation, I would have guessed that he wanted me to contact Gremory-senpai and Kamael for their assistances, but from Kiba's attitude, I get the feeling that he doesn't care about anything else other than fighting Freed._

 _Damn it!_

 _[Boost!]_

" _I'm staying. Somebody has to keep you alive. Gremory-senpai, Himejima-senpai and Toujou-chan will be sad if you die," I told Kiba that as I prepared myself for yet another struggle for my life._

 _Kiba had a surprised expression when he heard my words, then his usual smile returned, though this one seemed a bit more genuine, "...just don't get in my way."_

Kill him.

 _I felt the urge return as I felt Freed's murderous intent. It was slightly weaker than the time I fought against the oni. The moment I decide to help Kiba, I knew it would come._

 _I just hope I can restrain it._

In the end, we managed to drive Freed away, though Freed's swift attacks gave us some trouble. Even when we managed to get out of his attack range, Freed's speed would allow him to chase after us and continue his assault without stopping. That sword is really dangerous…

Kiba asked me to keep our encounter with Freed a secret from Gremory-senpai and her Peerage. Honestly I think we should tell Gremory-senpai about it, but the way he asked me left me cornered.

" _Hyoudou-kun, please don't tell Buchou and the rest about this," He told me as we sat on the floor of the abandoned building, exhausted by the battle we just had, "...I trust you."_

How the hell can I tell Gremory-senpai after he told me 'I trust you' like that?! Bastard Kiba probably planned that!

I did tell Kamael about the fight, and he had this strange expression that seemed to be stuck between anger and concern. I asked him about the 'Excalibur Rapidly' and he explained to me a few things.

First of all, the 'Legendary' Excalibur in King Arthur's legend no longer exist, at least, not as a single sword. As a single Holy Sword, it is something that surpassed most other swords and could grant its wielder power reaching the level of a deity.

But the 'Legendary' Excalibur was broken and the pieces was used to create seven 'lesser' Excaliburs, each of them possessing a portion of the original's power. The one that Freed used was 'Excalibur Rapidly', and its capability is as Kiba explained, enhanced speed and reflexes.

I asked Kamael how Freed could get one of those Excalibur, to which Kamael answered that he would investigate.

But then Kamael told me not to involve myself further in this whole 'Excalibur' mess and that he would handle Freed. Well… I… couldn't exactly do that… Freed said that he would kill me, and I can't let Kamael fight my battles.

Before I realized it, the bell signalling the end of classes had rang. Just like yesterday, Kamael left without Asia and I, probably looking for Freed or investigating about the Excaliburs.

"Hyoudou-kun," And just like yesterday, Kiba came to our class.

"Again?! Kiba-kun came to see Hyoudou again?!"

"It's true! Kiba-kunxHyoudou is OTP!"

"No way! I'll say it again, it's HyoudouxKiba-kun!"

...those comments are starting to get annoying…

"Asia," I called out to Asia who is talking with Kiryuu Aika. "Kiba and I are going to Meta-sensei's place, do you want to come with us?"

Asia shook her head, "I'm sorry, Ise-san. Kiryuu-san invited me to shop with her, so…"

I smiled at Asia who had a depressed expression, "It's alright, Asia. Go hang out with Kiryuu. Just promise me you'll be careful and you know how to contact me if you have a problem."

"Yes!" Asia nodded as she listened to my words.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

Kiba and I sat before Metatron-sensei and Uzume-san.

"So," Metatron-sensei spoke, " **Continuing** from yesterday, de gozaru ne. Assuming that deshi used **Transfer** , knight-kun here should be able to use it to increase his **speed** , likely enough to **surpass** Excalibur Rapidly's enhancement, de gozaru. And since you're a **Devil** , you should be able to **handle the boost** , de gozaru."

"Alternatively," Uzume-san added, "You can use the energy given by Issei-kun to enhance your [Sword Birth], increasing the power of your sword or creating even more swords."

Kiba nodded in understanding as he listened to the two. While I was a bit worried that Kiba would react badly when he see Metatron-sensei since he seemed to dislike Kamael, it seems that Kiba's hatred towards Excalibur surpassed his dislike for Angels as he still listened to Metatron-sensei's advices.

Though when he saw Metatron-sensei, he asked me a strange question.

" _Hyoudou-kun, do you know why the Voice of God is here?"_

 _I shrugged, honestly, I never thought about it._

...yeah, that was strange. Now that I think about it… how does the Biblical God speak if the Angel who is supposed to be His 'voice' is working as a Ninja in Japan?

"Deshi, **pay attention** , de gozaru! This is **important** , de gozaru yo!"

"Sorry!" I apologized and returned my attention to Metatron-sensei.

"Issei-kun doesn't seem to be the type to pay attention in lectures," Uzume-san managed to figure me out rather quickly, "Rather than just discussing about it, why don't we do some practice instead?"

Practice?

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

"Before we begin, can you show me how fast your opponent approximately is?" Uzume-san questioned us as we stood in one of the dojo of the Ninja Mansion.

Kiba nodded and then he 'teleported', at least to me. But looking at Uzume-san and Metatron-sensei who did not even react, they must have been able to see his movements.

"He seemed to be about this fast, Uzume-san," Kiba told her as he returned back to where he stood beside me.

"I see…" Uzume-san nodded, "Certainly, both you and your opponent is quite fast, I doubt that Issei-kun will be able to help you fight him other than transferring power to you."

...well, yeah. Two days ago, even after I boosted myself five times, I could barely see Kiba and Freed, and my hits rarely connect, though the punches that hit Freed dealt a lot of damage to him.

"Then, please wait a moment, I believe I found an appropriate Kagura for you."

Kagura?

Kiba saw my puzzled expression and spoke, "I heard my sensei mention it once or twice. The Miko of Yaoyorozu faction in Japan can invoke divine abilities into their bodies after performing a ritual dance called a Kagura. The dance was based on Uzume-san's dance in her legend."

...so that dance had a name? And it is actually a ritual dance?! Somehow, my perverted imagination managed to supply me with many miko-san doing 'that kind' of dances.

As we spoke, Uzume-san took out a gohei and began her dance, keeping her eyes closed as her body moved to a melody only she could hear.

To my disappointment though, the dance that Uzume-san performed was, while beautiful, not erotic. It was an elegant, yet powerful dance, and some of the movements seemed like…

"She is fighting," Kiba observed, "The way she moved made it seem like she is fighting against an invisible opponent with her sword."

Then, before our eyes, the gohei Uzume-san held in her right hand was covered by light and transformed into a katana. Then, several kanji seemed to be written by an invisible brush on the back of her haori.

"...Bujin **Takemikazuchi** , de gozaru ka? Indeed, he is a **suitable** Kami for this, de gozaru."

Warrior God, Takemikazuchi-no-Kami… The God of Thunder and Swords. A month ago, If somebody told me I'll fight him, or in this case, Ame-no-Uzume with Takemikazuchi-no-Kami's power, I'll probably think they are crazy.

But here I am, fighting Uzume-san as a part of my training.

"...Kiba Yuuto-kun, Issei-kun, Takemikazuchi-sama gave me permission to borrow his power for half an hour. You both should use this time efficiently," Uzume-san told us as she raised the katana.

Kiba and I nodded.

[Boost!]

"Hyoudou-kun, I'll keep her occupied until you finished boosting!" By the end of his sentence, Kiba's blade had already clashed with Uzume-san's.

"Alright!"

Uzume-san seemed amused, "You must be quite confident if you think you can hold me back alone, Kiba Yuuto-kun. But that confidence might get you killed, boy."

Before Kiba-san could answer, Uzume-san swung her sword, breaking Kiba's. Then she used the back of her sword to hit Kiba. To my surprise, the hit sent Kiba flying towards me.

"Uwa!" I caught Kiba, but was almost blown away by the force of the impact. What was that?!

"All she did was **overpower** knight-kun, de gozaru," Metatron-sensei spoke from the side, "Even if knight-kun is **agile** , his **strength** is lacking, since Uzume can't **replicate** the **Excalibur Rapidly** , she **borrowed** strength from Takemikazuchi to **compensate** , de gozaru yo."

I see… since Uzume-san can't replicate the additional damage of 'Holy Sword' against Devils and Excalibur Rapidly's speed, so she just increased her power to make up for that difference.

...wait, where does that leave me then? I was nearly killed by a 'normal' sword, if Uzume-san's super strength hit me…

" **Don't worry** deshi, de gozaru. Asia-chan's **[Twilight Healing]** can **probably** heal you once this is over, de gozaru."

Oh, alright then. That means everything is well…

Wait, it isn't! Sensei, does that mean a hit from that blade is bad enough that Twilight Healing can only 'probably' heal me?!

" _Well, you're only a human, after all. A good hit from her can probably knock you out of this fight, That's why, hurry up and Boost,"_ Ddraig advised me.

Right!

[Boost!]

" _After your third Boost, Transfer your power to the Devil, that should be enough for him to surpass that Kami's speed."_

I nodded, as Kiba stood back up, a new sword in his hand.

"Kiba, sorry, can you distract her for a bit?" Seeing the Knight's nod, I jumped away, trying to get some distance away from Uzume-san.

"I'm not going to let you go without a fight, boy," Uzume-san spoke as she pursued me, but her path was blocked by Kiba who created several swords in front of her.

"Your opponent is me, Uzume-san."

Uzume-san sighed, "Didn't I just prove to you that you can't match me alone?"

Kiba smiled bitterly, "Unfortunately, yes. Though I just need to distract you for a few seconds."

The Goddess of Dawn nodded, "I suppose so. But that is assuming that you can survive those 'few seconds."

Swords burst out of the ground where Uzume was standing but it did not harm her as she managed to leap out of the swords' reaches.

4 seconds left…

Kiba attempted to pursue Uzume-san… why? He just have to stall for a few seconds, right? There's no need to attack Uzume-san.

" _There is,"_ Ddraig answered me, _"That Devil's defense is really weak, he can't endure that Kami's attacks, so he has to keep attacking or, at the very least, keep moving to evade her. But if he gets too far away from her, she can attack you."_

...yeah, now that I think about it… Kiba seemed to rely on his speed most of the time, unlike in RPG where Knight characters usually have high defense, Kiba seems more like a Monk or Assassin with his high agility…

That aside…

"Kiba!" I shouted at the swordsman and he nodded.

[Boost!]

I ran towards him the moment I felt the energy rush through me.

"The question is, can you reach him?" Uzume-san questioned Kiba as she attacked him with a flurry of slashes.

Kiba responded with his swords, deflecting Uzume-san's sword with his own and creating swords from the ground to deflect the attacks he couldn't guard on time.

As they fought, I've almost reached Kiba and he leaped towards me. Just before I was about to Transfer the Boost to him...

"Ikazuchi!" Uzume-san disappeared and then reappeared a few feet away from Kiba and I.

...what… just happened?

...I heard dripping sounds, my eyes moved towards the sound. Red liquid fell to the ground in front of me.

...blood? Anxiety filled me as I saw the source.

Kiba slowly fell before me, countless cuts covered his body, his face frozen in expression of shock as if he could not believe what happened to him. ...in fact, it seemed as if he didn't even register any pain.

"Naive," Uzume-san spoke coldly. It was different from how she usually spoke, her eyes were stern as she gazed at Kiba and I. "You did not consider the possibility that I wasn't using my full speed against you."

Her eyes focused on me, "Issei-kun, why are you rushing towards us? A single strike from me can kill you. What were you thinking? The moment you Transfer your power, you will lose all of your Boosted power and you will not be able to protect yourself while Kiba Yuuto-kun and I clash."

Then her eyes moved to Kiba, who was barely conscious, "Kiba Yuuto-kun, your performance is adequate, yet you let your guard down at the end and you did allow Issei-kun to act so rashly. Please do not forget that Issei-kun is not a Devil like you."

"Clearly," The tone of her voice sounded like a teacher who is scolding her troublemaking students, "You both need more training."

" **Fortunately** , de gozaru. We are **available** most of the time, so **feel free** to come back here when your wounds are **healed** , Devil-kun, de gozaru," Metatron-sensei told Kiba. Then his eyes seemed to glint as he turned towards me, "As for you, deshi, let's continue our **training, de gozaru."**

...I wanted to cry imagining the amount of eroge I would have to repurchase by the end of the training.

* * *

 **Kamael POV**

"...so, three of the Excaliburs are stolen?" I questioned the Power before me.

An Angel clad in red armor and helmet nodded, "Yes, Chief Kamael."

I sighed and scanned the area around me. I was high up among the clouds, with four Angels of the Powers Choir. We are high enough to be considered 'outside' the Devils' territory. This area, the sky above Japan belongs to Fuujin, fortunately, Lord Metatron befriended Fuujin during his journey in the Land of Rising Sun, which is why the Powers and I are allowed to convene here.

"Which ones?"

Another Power answered, wearing the same armor and helmet as the Power who answered my question before, "The stolen Excaliburs are Excalibur Rapidly, Excalibur Transparency, and Excalibur Nightmare, Chief."

...how troublesome… Rapidly is bad enough, yet Transparency is also stolen? That Excalibur allows the user to become invisible for a time... combined with Nightmare that allows the user to create mirages and Rapidly that grants enchanted speed, the user would be a dangerous assassin.

...then again, according to Issei, that stray Exorcist wielded only Excalibur Rapidly. Perhaps there are three wielders? No, before that…

"How did Michael react?" I questioned them.

They tensed, one of them seemed to be trying to hold himself back from saying something.

"Speak," I motioned for him to do so.

He nodded, his expression angry as he spoke, "The Archangel forbid us from pursuing the thief. Instead, he appointed two Exorcists, one of Vatican Church and the other of Protestant Church. They are the wielders of Excalibur Destruction and Excalibur Mimic."

...of course he would. Honestly, the blatant favoritism Michael and the other 'Great Seraphs' to the Christian faction can be annoying. There were seven Excaliburs, one of them missing. Yet, Michael divided the remaining six between the three Christian factions, two for Vatican Church, two for Protestant Church, and two for the Orthodox Church, leaving none for the Jewish faction or Islamic faction. Seraphiel and Azrael had voiced their displeasure over this, yet the Archangel remained firm in his decision.

However, I could understand the reasoning Michael gave. Indeed, the number of exorcists within the Christian faction surpassed the other two, they would be able to protect the Excaliburs better. If possible, I would prefer to store the Excaliburs in Heaven than leaving it to any members of the churches, be they Jewish, Christian or Islamic, but with the current situation up there, it is not possible…

Not bringing the Powers into this mess is also a good decision on Michael's part. Some of my zealous companions might take this as a chance to judge the Devils of that town… He should be contacting me soon, most likely to ask me to keep my interference minimum.

For now though...

"Who stole them?"

The Excaliburs were stored in secure locations, while it is not as secure as I might have liked, there is a reason why no one has succeeded in stealing them before now.

The Powers seemed to hesitate, then one of them spoke as he bowed his head, "...it's Kokabiel, sir."

...in hindsight, I should have seen that coming. That warmongering fool is as rebellious as ever…

"...return to your posts," I commanded them.

The Powers seemed surprised, "But si-"

"Return to your posts. There is nothing you can do. The city below us. The city where Kokabiel is hiding, is a Devil's territory. You are not allowed there."

"Sir, with all due respect, your power is limited in that city," One of the Power attempted to convince me, "Though it is incomparable to his army in the past, Kokabiel's legion is still massive, you will not be able to..." The Power trailed off when he saw my expression.

...indeed, his words are true. I am not allowed to call down the full might of the Flames of Gevurah while in that city.

It is part of the agreement between the current Lucifer and I. I am allowed to stay in that city and protect the humans there, yet I am not allowed to unleash my full power, nor can I call my legion.

In the past, Kokabiel commanded an army of 365,000 Fallen Angels. One of the largest among Grigori. They had believed themselves to be unstoppable, unconquerable. In their hubris, they challenged one of the Archangel to a battle.

Anael, being both young and eager, advanced with her Elohim. Proving herself worthy of the position, Archangel of Victory, Anael led her legion and destroyed Kokabiel's army, humiliating the proud Angel of Stars.

What remained of his legion then fought against a squad of Exorcists led by Vasco Strada in the Second World War. The exemplary human managed to corner and defeat Kokabiel, an achievement that no other human could boast of other than Lord Enoch and Elijah.

Now, a mere shadow of its former self, Kokabiel's legion numbered about a thousand. While normally it would hardly be a threat against the Powers and I, in that city, it is another matter.

Alone and weakened, I would not be able to crush them and ensure Issei's safety at the same time. Fortunately…

"There is no need to concern yourselves with me. Lord Metatron is currently residing in a place near this area. If necessary, I would plead for his assistance."

Hearing Lord Metatron's name, the Powers relaxed. Even while absent, the Voice of God still held a special position among us, both as the Highest of All Angels and as the One Closest to Him.

"We understand. We will return to Shamayim. Please do not hesitate to summon us should you need us, Chief Kamael."

I nodded as they flew away from me, returning to their positions in guarding the Garden of Eden in the Fourth Heaven.

...now then, how should I handle this mess?

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

"Ise-san, are you alright?" Asia asked me with a worried expression as she, Kamael and I made our way to our home. ...well, it's not actually Kamael's home, but he sometimes come to my house and Asia is basically adopted by dad and mom.

I grinned as I gave her a thumbs up, "Don't worry, Asia. Thanks to you healing me, I'm fine now."

She still seemed worried, "But your injuries were…" She trailed off as she tried to find a good way to say it.

"...they were quite terrible," Kamael was the one who ended her sentence, "My apologies for that, Issei."

I waved him off, "Don't worry about it. You did it because you want me to be stronger, right?"

Today's training was unlike the usual. When Kamael returned from his investigation, he spoke with Metatron-sensei privately and then he took over my training. Then Kamael sparred with me countless times, not giving me a single chance to rest. While this happened, Kiba was still healing from the wounds inflicted by Uzume-san. Uzume-san said that her attacks are imbued with purifying powers, which cause non-divine beings to heal slower than usual.

When Asia came to the mansion, she healed both Kiba and I. Before we had a chance to prepare, Kamael attacked us again, telling Asia to join us two as healer and telling Kiba and I to protect Asia.

...for some reason Kamael is really zealous today. I tried asking him about it, his reply was that the training is an insurance.

...insurance for what?

We talked a few more, mostly Asia asking Kamael to take it easy on me, saying that she doesn't like seeing me get hurt.

"I'm glad to hear that, Asia. But if Kamael is acting like this, there must be a reason. So it's alright," I told her that. "Besides, you can heal me, right?"

Asia frowned but nodded while Kamael had a frown on his face, but it was not directed at me or Asia. It was directed at the house in front of us. The house of the Hyoudou family.

I opened the door, "I'm home," Both Asia and I said that as we entered the house.

"My apologies for the intrusion," Kamael spoke as he followed us. His eyes kept on moving around the house, as if looking for something.

"What is it, Kamael-san?" Asia asked him.

His answer made me freeze, "There is an Excalibur near us."

I rushed towards the kitchen. During this time, dad should still be working and mom should be preparing dinner for us. I felt fear as I did not see her anywhere in the kitchen.

Could it be Freed? Had he found out where I live? Memories of the room filled with blood came back to me and my anxiety grew as I imagined my mother lying on the pool of her own blood. The Boosted Gear materialized itself on my left arm as I tensed.

My mother… could be dead...

 _Kill._

The urge returned to me, stronger than the time I fought against Freed. Stronger than the time I battled the oni.

But then I heard my mom's laughter from the living room, immediately, both the urge and the Boosted Gear disappear.

"Ise-san, are you alright?" Asia sounded worried as she and Kamael reached me.

I nodded, though I just realized that my body was tense, that I was trembling in fear and worry.

"Yeah, mom is in the living room, since she laughed, I think that she's safe."

We walked towards the living room and saw my mother talking with two unfamiliar girls. One of them had brown hair and the other blue hair. While blue hair was not exactly common, what caught my eyes the most were their attire. Seeing them, we had different reactions.

I was surprised, the rosary around their neck and their white robe made me assume that they were members of the Church.

Asia had a startled and anxious expression when she saw them. I placed myself between them and her, she was excommunicated after all, I don't know what they will do to her.

Kamael's reaction was just a single raised eyebrow, though he seemed to be moving closer towards Asia as well. If not because of the situation, I would let out a smile, unlike the time when we first met Asia, Kamael seemed to be protective of her.

"Hello, Ise-kun," The one with brown hair spoke to me.

...I have no idea who she is, so I just gave her a polite smile, "Nice to meet you."

The girl seemed confused, "Huh? Don't you remember me?"

...she is a beautiful girl, so I doubt I would forget her if I ever met her but…

Mom gave me a photo, to me, it was a familiar photo of my childhood friend and I, sitting beside an impressive looking sword.

Mom pointed at my childhood friend, Shidou. "It's this child, Shidou Irina-chan. That time, she was like a boy but now she is a proper lady so even I was shocked…"

...eh? Wait a second…

Shidou… is a girl? Seriously? I've always thought she was a boy…

"Long time no see, Ise-kun. Did you mistake me for a boy? It can't be helped since I was a troublemaker just like the boys. But…" Her eyes went to Asia and Kamael, "Seems like we have a lot of stories to tell each other, don't we?"

...looks like I'm going to get dragged into something crazy. ...even though I have to help Kiba as well…

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

Because my mom was there, we couldn't talk about the supernatural business and after talking about Shidou's trip overseas and my family's life in Kuoh for about thirty minutes, she and the blue-haired girl left.

" _It appears that they are the Exorcists assigned to retrieve the Excaliburs," Kamael told Asia and I. "...both of them are Excalibur wielders."_

From that, I guessed that we would be seeing them soon. That's why I wasn't surprised when Kiba told us that Gremory-senpai called us to the Occult Research Club.

Opening the door to the clubroom, we were greeted by a tense situation between Gremory-senpai's group and the two Exorcists inside the clubroom.

...Kiba is glaring at them, looking as if he would attack them without any hesitation. ...yeah, he probably would. Assuming that the 'enemy' Kiba spoke about is the Excalibur, I can understand his reaction.

What I don't understand is 'why'. Why does Kiba hate the Excalibur? He said it killed his friends.

"Recently, the Holy Swords Excaliburs that were kept by the Vatican Church, Protestant Church, and Orthodox Church were stolen," Shidou began the conversation with this revelation.

Gremory-senpai's eyes widened slightly but she kept her features calm. Himejima-senpai gave a slight frown when she heard that, so did Toujou-chan. Kiba on the other hand…

...uwaa… that glare really makes him look like a demon… Oh wait, he's a Devil.

From where she sat, Gremory-senpai shot a curious look at me, probably because she thought I wouldn't know about the Excaliburs. I gave sheepish smile and pointed at Kamael indicating that I learned about them from him. Senpai seemed to have figured out what I meant, so she nodded in understanding.

"What does that have to do with this town?" Gremory-senpai asked them as she returned her attention to the two.

"The thief stole three Excaliburs, one from each of the Churches and he escaped to Japan, bringing them to this town," The blue haired one answered Gremory-senpai.

...three of those swords? Seriously? I have only fought against Excalibur Rapidly but I can already tell that they are dangerous…

"..." Gremory-senpai put her hand on her forehead and let out a sigh, "...my territory is full of incidents it seems. So, who stole them? Who stole the Excaliburs?"

...I get the feeling that she was talking about Asia's incident when she said that, and maybe mine too. We managed to hide Amaterasu's 'trip' from her though…

Putting those thoughts aside, I turned to the two Exorcists. I was also curious about who stole the Excaliburs since I doubt that Freed could do it alone.

"The ones who stole them were the Grigori."

For a moment, senpai seemed surprised but then she nodded in understanding.

"Certainly, the Devils have no interest in Excaliburs, as we couldn't even touch it because of the Holy Energy inside the swords. The Fallen Angels seem like the best suspects."

Kamael had a frown as he listened to their words. ...well… the leader of Grigori is Kamael's friend after all…

"We know the main culprit behind this, one of the Cadre, Kokabiel."

"Kokabiel… the Star of God. One of the Cadre and survivor of the previous wars. An Angel whose name is recorded in the Book of Enoch, eh?" Gremory-senpai had a smirk as she mentioned that, her eyes moving towards Kamael for a moment.

...wow, he sounds like a final boss character. I don't know what this 'Book of Enoch' is, but I guess it's part of the Bible? I wonder if he is as strong as Kamael.

Is that why the Exorcists are here? To ask for Gremory-senpai's assistance against Kokabiel?

"Our request… No. Our order is to not to have any devils intrude in the battle between us and the fallen-angels for the Excaliburs. In other words, we came here to tell you not to interfere with this incident."

Senpai's eyes became cold when she heard the blue-haired girl's words.

"...do you believe that we will collaborate with the Grigori?"

"The Vatican Church believes that it is possible," The blue-haired girl answered.

...senpai's eyes were scary as she glared at the girl, as if daring her to continue.

Ignoring senpai's glare, the girl continued, "The higher-ups from our Churches believe that the Devils can benefit from the theft of Excaliburs. Thinking that Devils and Fallen Angels will form an alliance is not weird, that is why we are here to give you a warning. If you form an alliance with Kokabiel, then we will slay you all. Even if you are a sister of a Maou."

A… Maou? No, that aside, this girl is really confident, or maybe she is stupid, she basically came to an enemy's territory and declare that she would kill them if they act suspiciously…

"...Xenovia Quarta, is it? If you know that I am a sister of a Maou, then you must have connections with the higher-ups of the Church. Then I will declare, I will not form an alliance with the Fallen Angels. In the name of Gremory Clan, I will never do something that tarnish the name of Lucifer."

The blue-haired girl, Quarta-san laughed, "Hearing that is good enough. Since Kokabiel hid here, we have the obligation to warn you. We won't ask for your cooperation though, since a cooperation with us will throw off the balance between the three factions. Especially since you are Lucifer's sister."

Gremory-senpai seemed to calm down hearing that. I don't understand what they are saying since I'm unfamiliar with this whole politics between Devils, Angels and Fallen Angels, but I guess that's good.

"Where is the Exorcist from the Orthodox Church?" Gremory-senpai questioned.

"That person is not here. They will protect the last Excalibur, Excalibur Blessing, should Irina and I fall," Quarta-san answered.

"So it's just the two of you?" Senpai seemed surprised as she asked them, "You are planning to challenge a Cadre with only two Exorcists? How reckless, are you trying to die?"

Shidou was the one who answered, "Yes."

...Shidou? What happened to you? I knew that Shidou was a devout Christian, but I didn't expect to hear that she would be willing to die for this.

"I have the same view as Irina. But if possible, I would prefer not to die."

Gremory-senpai shook her head, "You came here prepared to die? The belief in your teaching is as extreme as ever, I see…"

"Don't insult our beliefs, Rias Gremory," Shidou seemed offended by Senpai's words.

"The Churches decided that it would be better to destroy the Excaliburs than allowing Fallen Angels to use them. Our objective is to ensure that they cannot obtain the Excaliburs, for that, it is okay for us to die. The only way to fight against the Excaliburs are Excaliburs themselves."

...their faith is too strong! Honestly, are you guys that willing to die for your God? I couldn't understand their views at all!

"...I see, but even with your Excaliburs, I doubt you will succeed," Gremory-senpai commented. So she already knew that they are Excalibur Wielders? Maybe they told her that before Kamael, Asia and I arrive….

"We don't plan to die in vain," Quarta-san answered without any fear

"How confident. Do you have a secret weapon?"

"Perhaps. I will leave that to your imagination."

…

After staring at each other for a while, Gremory-senpai spoke, "That's all then. Anything you want to say, Chief of Powers?"

Shidou and Quarta-san whipped their heads so fast that I was afraid they would break. Their eyes stared at Kamael in surprise and shock.

"...he's an Angel?" Quarta-san seemed surprised, now that I think about it, we never introduced ourselves to each other yesterday.

"Chief of Powers?" Shidou seemed excited, "Perhaps the Lord has sent Chief-sama to assist us in this journey? Lord, thank you for your mercy!" She started praying! What are you doing Shidou?! I can see Gremory-senpai's eyes twitching because she started praying among Devils.

Kamael spared them a glance and sighed, "...I have nothing to do with this, Gremory. I have no interest in this matter pertaining Excaliburs."

At this, we were surprised, I thought that Kamael was also investigating them. The two exorcists seemed to be really shocked that Kamael would say that.

"...however, Issei has shown interest in investigating this incident. Therefore I shall assist him. If I inadvertently assist them in the process, then so be it."

...eh? When eyes went to me, I paled. Kamael! Please don't make me the target of these scary people's attention like that!

"Hyoudou-kun, you are interested in the Excalibur?" Gremory-senpai asked me with a curious look.

...I don't know how I should answer this, I mean, I just want to help Kiba and ensure Freed doesn't kill me, but I can't say it since Kiba asked me not to.

"...wait, that girl behind you, isn't she the Witch, Asia Argento?"

Fortunately for me, Quarta-san changed the topic.

Unfortunately, that topic is this.

"Wow, that's right!" Shidou seemed surprised, "She was with Ise-kun yesterday too. First an Angel, now a Witch and Devils, you sure have interesting companions, Ise-kun."

...Witch?

That memory of Asia crying in the park came back to me.

 _Crush them._

[Boost!]

"...don't you dare call her a Witch," I raised my arms, the jewel on the Boosted Gear glowing.

" _Calm yourself, kid,"_ Ddraig spoke to me, _**"You're letting your emotion control you."**_

I know that, Ddraig. But…

"What's wrong with that?" Quarta's eyes narrowed, "She is a Witch. The fact that she healed a Devil made her one. Even though she is a Holy Maiden, she betrayed the believers' trust in her."

"What the fuck is that?! You guys are the ones who selfishly made her a Holy Maiden. And then you abandoned her just because she was different! Those 'believers' you speak about are nothing but scums! None of them befriended her, they are the ones who betrayed and abandoned her!"

"The Holy Maiden has no need for friends. They simply needs the Lord to live."

"Then where is your God when Asia needs him?!"

Quarta's reply was immediate, "If the Lord did not extend a hand to help her, doesn't that mean her faith is weak? Or perhaps, it is nothing but a false faith."

Asia trembled as she heard Quarta's words.

...I...

[Boost!]

I swung my fist, at that moment, she took out her weapon.

CLANG!

Kiba stood between us, a jet-black sword in his hand. The sword broke apart the moment it deflected Quarta's blade.

"...this is a good timing, isn't it, Hyoudou-kun? We can put what we have learned to the test," KIba's words were light and his face had a smile, but I could tell that he was trying to hold back his anger.

I guess he couldn't hold himself back. That's alright, Kiba. This time, I also want a fight...

"...who are you?" Quarta asked Kiba.

"I'm your senpai. Though, I apparently was a failure."

Countless swords appeared in the clubroom with that declaration.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

Kiba and I stood before Quarta and Shidou on a field near the old school building. Himejima-senpai used some kind of magic to create a barrier around us so we can fight freely without troubling others.

This will be a 'spar' between Kiba and I and the Exorcists, though from Kiba's killing intent, it is clear that he wished it wasn't just a spar but a battle to the death.

Gremory-senpai asked me what Kiba meant when he said 'put what we have learned to the test', I was trying to avoid answering it but she kept asking. Fortunately, Kamael saved me by answering that Kiba saw me training with him a few days ago and decided to join our training.

"...Kiba, don't be reckless, alright?" I warned him, Uzume-san told me I should do this before we fight someone with Excalibur since Kiba's anger can dull his skill. I've mostly calmed down from before, while I'm still a bit angry, I could at least control myself now and the urge is mostly gone.

He nodded, though he still trembled, either from excitement or anticipation, I don't know.

I recalled what Kamael told us on our way here, "Quarta wields the Excalibur Destruction and Shidou has the Excalibur Mimic. Excalibur Destruction can destroy anything it touches and Mimic can transform into any shape, weapon and material."

Kiba seemed to be considering our options for the moment, "While Excalibur Mimic can be dangerous, our main problem is Excalibur Destruction. My swords are all Demonic Swords, they will be destroyed if they clash with Excalibur Destruction. I can try to cut her without clashing swords with her, but it will be difficult."

I shook my head, "I'll fight Quarta. I have a weapon that should be able to fight with Excalibur Destruction."

Yeah, this would be a good chance to do _that_.

" _Seriously? You're seriously doing it? Even after I told you not to?!"_

Shut up, Ddraig! There's a time when one's got to do what one's got to do. And that time is now.

Hearing that, Kiba smiled, "Is that so? If you are so confident, then I will leave her to you then. I will fight the other one."

After the four of us went to our positions, Kamael and Gremory-senpai went to the middle of the field.

"This is just a sparring match, so try to avoid any crippling blows," Gremory-senpai stated, "...and Kiba, be careful."

Kiba seemed surprised by Senpai's words, then he nodded with a smile.

"If I deem an attack to be lethal, then I will interfere," Kamael told us, "And I will not hesitate to use force."

After the two left the field, we moved.

[Boost!]

"...I see, so it really is the [Boosted Gear]," Quarta commented. I guess your reputation precedes you, Ddraig.

"A Longinus," Shidou observed the Sacred Gear on my left hand, "Your life must be really interesting, Ise-kun."

They were standing in their 'battle clothes', which is basically what they were wearing, but without the white robes. The battle clothes didn't really reveal anything but because it was quite form-fitting, they looked quite erotic...

Shaking my head to get rid of such thoughts, I wordlessly placed my hand on Kiba's shoulder.

[Transfer!]

Then he disappeared, rushing towards Shidou while I ran towards Quarta. As I did so, memories rushed through my mind.

" _This is a weapon that Azazel created. It possess the capability to create a blade of light or a blade of darkness. Using this weapon's blade of light and the Boosted Gear, you should be able to fight against the Excaliburs."_

" _...normally, you wouldn't be able to use this weapon as it requires spiritual energy to use, but I put my feather inside it. At the very least, the energy in that feather should be enough for a month of continuous use."_

As I grew closer, Quarta took out her strange blade, the Excalibur Destruction. The two-handed sword had three pointed blade and two axe-like guards.

 _After swinging the weapon a few times, I grinned, "This weapon is awesome, Kamael! Does it have a name?!" My mind went through of possible names I can use for the weapon._

"Even with a Longinus, do you think a human can match me? Whatever you did to the Devil weakens you, a single hit from the Excalibur Destruction will defeat you," She commented as she rushed towards me.

" _...yeah, Azazel gave it a name," Kamael gave me a bitter smile as I answered, "Its name is…"_

Immediately I took out a cylindrical object from my pocket. And made a Henshin Pose just like Kamen Rider Ichigo.

[Boost!]

"Awaken! _**Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade (Prototype)**_!"

The Light Blade of Justice manifested from the weapon I held in my hand. I swung it a few times and struck a pose like Kamen Rider Black RX's finishing move and prepared myself for Quarta's assaults.

...but none came.

...blinking, I realized that everyone on the field are staring at me. Even Kiba and Shidou stopped their sword clashes to stare. From the side, I heard sounds of clapping from Kamael and Asia, though while Asia seemed excited, Kamael seemed resigned.

"...I can't believe he actually did that…"

" _...my host is an idiot…"_ Hey! What's that supposed to mean, Ddraig?!

Gremory-senpai chuckled, "It seems that Hyoudou-kun is as interesting as ever."

...I don't know why they seemed so surprised but I'm not about to waste an opening.

[Boost!]

I swung the sword of light towards Quarta. Who reacted immediately and met my sword with hers. At the same time, Shidou and Kiba continued their battle.

The sword of light lost its shape for a moment, being destroyed by the Excalibur Destruction but I continued swinging my weapon, since it has lost its blade, it passed through Quarta's blade and as it grew closer to her.

The sword recreated itself and continued its path towards Quarta, but with inhuman speed, she moved her body, avoiding it and then counterattacked me with her sword.

Uwaa! That's really dangerous! I barely avoided the sword by tilting my upper body. Is this girl really a human? I mean, I'm four times stronger and faster than my normal state, but she reacted to my attacks as if they were nothing!

"It seems that I underestimated you. You are more resourceful than I thought," Quarta spoke, "What is your name, wielder of Boosted Gear?"

"Haven't you heard my name from Shidou?" I asked her, confused.

"Yes," She nodded, "But I want to hear it from your own mouth."

...heh, that's actually a cool answer. "My name is Hyoudou Issei. Asia's friend."

The Exorcist nodded, "I am Xenovia Quarta, an Exorcist of the Vatican."

After that exchange, we rushed towards each other again.

I swung the Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade (Prototype) once more and it clashed with the Excalibur Destruction. I could see my light blade dissipating because of Excalibur Destruction's effect so…

[Transfer!]

The blade glew brightly as it received my Boosted power. I grinned as I knew that my plan worked. The Excalibur Destruction's ability only destroys a portion of the blade, which immediately regenerated before she could cut through it.

Even then, her pure strength surpassed mine and I could see my blade being pushed back.

[Boost!]

With the Boost, I managed to decrease the difference of strength between us, but I might need a few more Boosts to match her.

Knowing that I would lose in a strength contest, I deactivated the sword, attempting to surprise her. While it did surprise her, she kept her balance and instead of stumbling, she attacked me.

Damn it!

My hand went to my pocket and I threw a smoke bomb that was part of 'Meta-sensei **Weapon Set**!' I thanked the fact that Metatron-sensei's custom smoke bomb doesn't need me to lit the fuse to work as smoke covered my form and Quarta's.

Using the smoke I put some distance between us, hoping to buy enough time for another Boost.

But not even a few seconds later, there was a sound of explosion and smoke was blown away.

Around where Quarta stood was a crater, the result of the Excalibur Destruction being stabbed to the ground.

Seriously! That ability is too dangerous! What if I failed to escape in time?!

"Don't use petty tricks, Hyoudou Issei! Fight me fair and square!" Quarta rushed towards me, swinging her sword once more.

"No way! I'll die!" I threw a kunai towards her from my other pocket, she blocked it with her Excalibur Destruction and the kunai was destroyed instantly.

...she's really scary. If I fought her without the Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade (Prototype), I'll definitely die! Ignoring, or perhaps, not noticing my fear, Quarta continued her advance.

I activated the blade once more and blocked Quarta's downward swing.

[Boost!]

In an instant, I dissipated my light blade and avoided the Exorcist's blade by tilting my body slightly. As she attempted to raise her blade, I kicked her away, causing her to release her blade.

Alright, now I'll-

...the sword didn't budge at all as I tried to raise the Excalibur Destruction from the ground.

"Only those with certain level of Holy Energy inside their body can wield a Holy Sword, Issei!" Kamael told me. Learning that, I gave up that plan and put a distance between me and Quarta.

If that doesn't work, then I'll-

"Hyoudou-kun," Kiba interrupted my thoughts as he appeared beside me. I winced as I realized that smokes were coming out from several cuts on his body, it was similar to what happened when Freed's attacks grazed him. The 'additional damage' of Holy Sword against Devils. "I need another Boost. We'll end it with one strike."

I nodded.

"Irina, you haven't beaten him yet?" Quarta asked Shidou who went to her side, "That's surprising."

Shidou shook her head, "Don't be like that, Xenovia. He's actually quite skilled and fast, you know. He managed to avoid my attacks even when I changed Mimic's shapes as I moved."

[Boost!]

"...seems like they are planning something, let's beat them before they can do it," Shidou rushed towards Kiba and I. Xenovia following behind her.

"Kiba!" I shouted at him as he rushed towards the two Exorcists.

"I know, you'll have your ten seconds, Hyoudou-kun."

"Not that! Use this!" I threw the Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade (Prototype) at him. He caught the blade and immediately used it to deflect Quarta's attacks, using another sword to block Shidou's. The blade that clashed with Excalibur Destruction was immediately destroyed by the Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade (Prototype) generated another one in an instant, blocking Excalibur Destruction again.

At the same time, swords appeared on the field, attacking the Exorcists while at the same time, preventing them from moving freely.

"This is… [Sword Birth]? The Sacred Gear allows its user to create any Demonic Swords they imagined in their mind, this is quite an unique Sacred Gear, even amongst the Demonic Sword related Sacred Gears. I heard there is a single subject that avoided the fate of being disposed among the Holy Sword Project, is that you?"

Shidou seemed surprised by Quarta's words, "Really? I've heard rumors about it but are you really the lone survivor of that project?"

Kiba didn't answer them, instead his attacks grew more intense. But it also became more sloppy, even someone as inexperienced as I in swordfights can see that Kiba is slowly being pushed back by the two Exorcists.

"Kiba! It's time!" I shouted at him.

"Understood!" Countless swords shot towards Quarta and Shidou as Kiba rushed towards me.

"Oh no you don't!" Shidou's katana grew in length and advanced towards Kiba who deflected it with his jet-black sword, the Holy Eraser. For a moment, the Excalibur Mimic's 'growth' stopped thanks to the effect of the Demon Sword but it immediately recovered after a moment.

Still… it was enough. Kiba extended his arm as he almost reached me.

[Boost!]

I caught Kiba's extended arm and…

[Transfer!]

"[Sword Birth]!"

Countless swords exploded from the ground, all rushing towards the two Exorcists in waves. Quarta let out a grunt and swung her Excalibur Destruction, destroying the first wave of Demonic Swords, but the next wave almost reached them.

Shidou created a sphere using the Excalibur Mimic's transformation ability, as it was made by a Holy Sword, the Demonic Swords Kiba created failed to penetrate it.

After a silence, Shidou and Quarta burst out of the 'sphere' as it transformed back into a katana, Kiba wordlessly threw the Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade (Prototype) towards me and rushed to meet them in battle, with me following behind him.

[Boost!]

I felt the rush of energy and we were moments away from reaching each othe-

"That's enough!" A wall of flame appeared between the Exorcists and Kiba and I. This is…

"Kamael!" I turned towards him, intending to complain but when I saw his stern eyes, I did not say anything.

"...this match has ended. Anymore of this, and it will turn into a real battle," Kamael stated. "Should any of you wish to continue the fight, you will fight me instead."

The two Exorcists put away their weapons and I deactivated the Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade (Prototype). Kiba seemed like he was about to disagree, but near where Kamael was standing, Gremory-senpai frowned at him, causing him to be silent.

In an instant, the swords disappeared, leaving the four of us standing on ruined grounds.

Quarta and Shidou both grabbed their white robes and put them back on, "Chief-sama, we will take our leave now, won't you help us?" Shidou asked Kamael clasping her hand together as if praying."

Seeing that, Kamael let out a sigh, "As I have stated, I am assisting Issei in this matter. Because of that, I am helping you. Just not directly."

The two seemed to perk up hearing that, well… they were sent here for suicide mission, but with Kamael help, I'm sure they have better chance of survival.

"While the two of you are pursuing the Excaliburs, I am investigating Kokabiel's whereabouts and plans," Then he turned towards Quarta, "Xenovia Quarta, I recognize you. Even if you use _that_ , you will not be able to win against Kokabiel. Do not throw away your lives so easily, leave Kokabiel to me."

Shidou smiled happily, "Thank you, Chief-sama! I hope we can complete this mission God gave us safely! Amen!"

Quarta nodded, though she seemed to be thinking about what Kamael told her. But then she turned towards me, "Sekiryuutei," ...that means me, right? "You are quite skilled, but you are just a normal human, unlike Irina and I who are blessed with Holy Energy or the reincarnated Devils. That is why, you should be careful. ...after all, the Vanishing Dragon has already awakened."

With that ominous warning, the two Exorcists left. But in reaction to that warning, I felt a surge of surprise, excitement, and joy from the Boosted Gear. ...the Vanishing Dragon is referring to Albion, right? The White Dragon? Your rival?

" _Yeah, to think he has awakened. Looks like you're going to have a fight for your life soon, kid."_

...give me a break, I just want to focus on helping Kiba right now, I'll worry about my unknown rival later.

Well… that aside, Kiba and I managed to fight against Quarta and Shidou to a draw, and since they both wield Excaliburs, that meant the training Metatron-sensei, Uzume-san, and Kamael gave us worked. That should calm Kiba down. Now, all we have to do is find out where Freed is and beat him.

Or so I thought…

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

"...so, why did you call me here, Toujou-chan?" I questioned Toujou-chan who called me out to the roof during our lunch break.

Toujou-chan looked down as she spoke to me, "...Hyoudou-senpai, please help Yuuto-senpai." ...I'm jealous of Kiba since Toujou-chan called him by his first name, but I guess that's because they are quite close, being members of Occult Research Club and all.

"What do you mean, Toujou-chan?" I asked her, if she meant I should help Kiba concerning the Excaliburs, I'm already doing that.

Toujou-chan handed me a piece of paper and I felt a surge of anger seeing it. On the piece of paper was a single word,

 _Goodbye._

Toujou-chan had a sad expression as she looked up to me. I felt my frustration grew…

...damn it, Kiba...

* * *

 **Well... it seems quite obvious by now, but I will state it again.  
**

 **This story contains religious and mythological elements.**

 **And I mean it. You might already notice from Kamael's conversation with the Powers, but the Angels are not exactly united here.  
**

 **And no, I do not mean to offend Christians (Be they part of Roman Catholic, Protestant, or Eastern Orthodox). The reason why I added the part about Michael, Seraphiel, and Azrael is because DxD made it easy for me to do so.**

 **Excaliburs are kept only by the Christian Churches. What about Jewish and Islamic factions? They venerate Michael too, you know. Here, they are represented by Seraphiel and Azrael, respectively.**

 **And Michael is not biased at all, Kamael mentioned the reason why Michael only gave the Excaliburs to the Christian Churches. ...which is, to be honest, just my attempt to explain 'Excaliburs being given only to Christian Church' and 'all Angels are Christian' problems in DxD.  
**

 **Putting it simply, The Heavenly Host (Angels) are divided into factions. And I won't hesitate to make it clear that some Angels are antagonistic to other factions, even among Abrahamic religions.**

* * *

 **And... well... before I continue, I would like to state to readers that I mean no offence to any religions. It might seem that Roman Catholic Church (or as DxD call them, Vatican) are singled out in Excalibur Arc (and maybe Asia arc), but that is not my intention.  
**

 **First, assuming Asia comes from Italy, that means the Church that excommunicated her was (most likely) the Vatican.**

 **Second, Valper Galilei was a member of the Vatican Church.**

 **...it might seem like I'm shifting the blame, but if you have any complaints, please direct them to Ishibumi-sensei instead.  
**

 **Because I honestly cannot imagine some characters hearing about Holy Sword Project and just go, 'Oh, this is not the Church's fault.' simply because they branded Valper as heretic.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD.**

 **Warning, this story contains religious and mythological elements. The author does not mean any disrespect to the mentioned religious views.**

 **Thanks to Wrathie Winsre for the cover image!  
**

 **I'll be replying to Guests Reviewers here since they can't be PM'd.**

 **dragon rider: That's good, I suppose? Well... There's no way 'Human' Issei can fight against Excalibur with his hands, right? Kamen Rider references will come once Boosted Gear's Balance Breaker appears (That thing is one big Tokusatsu shout-out after all).**

 **About Kamen Riders... Let's see... unfortunately, by the time I start to watch them, it was already Black and Black RX era. I did watch some episodes of the past Kamen Riders from the internet before, but I mostly followed the Heisei-era Riders (From Kuuga to Gaim. ...haven't decided if I want to watch Drive or not)  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **Kiba Yuuto**

* * *

 **This chapter has been Beta'd by Wrathie Winsre.**

 **Beta notes: So beta-ing is tougher than I thought, if I missed anything, tell me.  
**

* * *

 **Kiba Yuuto POV**

I felt a twinge of guilt as I continued my path. This morning, I left a message for Buchou and the others and left Kuoh Academy.

...yeah, it is a cowardly thing to do. But what else can I do? If I see their faces, the faces of those I consider as family, I would hesitate, I wouldn't be able to leave.

Buchou can't interfere as it might be seen as the sister of Lucifer making a move. Be it to help the Exorcists or to stand against them. A slight movement by Buchou can be twisted into an 'offence' by other factions.

That is why, I left her. That is why, I betrayed her. I rebelled against my Master and savior, against the Master who gave me a name, who gave me a new home.

...sensei would be disappointed. After all of his teachings about honor and loyalty, I betrayed my Master to pursue my revenge.

...but what else can I do? Everytime I close my eyes, I could recall their faces, their expression full of pain as they died. My friends, my comrades, my family.

We were orphans, we were taken in by the Church. They gathered us for a project, a project which we did not understand at that time.

Even when they experimented on us, we thought it was fine. After all, they told us that we would be special, that we would be chosen by God...

In that place, we lived together, we ate together, we sang together, we… prayed together.

But then, that day came.

We were gathered in one place and they gassed the room with a poison. My hands were paralyzed, I could not move my legs, my whole body was consumed by pain. ...I was crying.

I was dying.

I watched as my family died one by one, their sufferings, their deaths, they were carved into my mind. Through that, all I could hear were the prayers of the priests who killed them.

At that time, I thought I would share their fate, and perhaps, I would accept it. ...after all, we are family, we live together, so… we die together.

But then...

One of my brothers pushed away one of the researchers, no, he pushed away one of the murderers.

" _Go! At least you survive!"_

...yeah, I survived. I survived thanks to this chance you guys gave me. I abandoned you guys that day. I escaped without looking back.

But now… the time has come.

With this life you gave me...

With the strength my Master gave me…

...I will destroy the Excaliburs.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

Kamael is absent today for some reason and I don't want to involve Asia in this, so I decided to help Toujou-chan alone.

Toujou-chan and I tried to leave the Academy to look for Kiba, but we were stopped by a Student Council Member, Genshirou Saji. I considered escaping from him or knocking him out but then Toujou-chan said something that surprised me.

"Genshirou-senpai, please let us go, this is an urgent business concerning our club."

...that's a strange excuse but Genshirou seemed to understand.

"...I guess you wouldn't lie about that. What about him though?" He motioned towards me.

Toujou-chan didn't hesitate as she answered, "Hyoudou-senpai is a Sacred Gear wielder. He is helping me."

Hey! What are you saying to a normal pe-

"What?" Genshirou seemed surprised, "This guy? Seriously?"

...oh? He knew about the supernatural world?

"Hyoudou-senpai, please show Genshirou-senpai your Sacred Gear. Hurry," Toujou-chan seemed to be anxious to leave the Academy. ...well, more time wasted here means that Kiba is getting farther away.

I summoned my Boosted Gear. Though Genshirou seemed surprised when he saw it, he nodded. "Alright, I'll speak with Kaichou about this."

"Genshirou-senpai, we are in a hurry," Toujou-chan protested.

But Genshirou remained firm, "Sorry, rules are rules. I'm going to need you two to wait here while I conta-"

Without any hesitation, Toujou-chan punched him, knocking him unconscious. ...scary, Toujou-chan's strength is scary. I've seen it during one of the Stray Devil's hunts, but seeing it this close really drives the point home.

"Let's bring Genshirou-senpai with us," Toujou-chan lifted Genshirou easily.

"...I'll carry him," I told her and she wordlessly put Genshirou on my back. "...what's his relationship with the supernatural anyway?" I asked her as we made our way out of the Academy.

"Genshirou-senpai is part of Kaichou's Peerage. He is a Reincarnated Devil."

Oh I see… wait, what?

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

On our way, Toujou-chan explained to me that Shitori Souna-kaichou, is actually Sona Sitri, a High-class Devil. She is a member of the Sitri clan, just like how Gremory-senpai is a part of the Gremory clan.

Her job is to 'rule' the city during the day while Gremory-senpai 'rule' the night. One of their duties is to ensure the Devils of Kuoh Academy do not cause any trouble or break the rules. Since the Devils can hide any evidence with their abilities, she assigned several members of her Peerage as patrols, one of them is Genshirou here.

Speaking about Genshirou, he woke up and was quite angry by how he was knocked unconscious, but seeing Toujou-chan's sad face, he immediately gave up and now is a member of our party.

"So, what are we doing anyway, Hyoudou?" Genshirou asked me, I think he's a bit scared of Toujou-chan.

"We're looking for Kiba," I answered him.

"That ikemen? Why?" Hmm… yeah, Kiba is an ikemen, right? That's why I disliked him since I first met him, I think Genshirou had the same opinion as me.

"Short version is that he wanted revenge and left Gremory-senpai to do it. Toujou-chan got worried about him and asked me to help her look for him."

"...I don't really get it, but are you saying that Kiba is becoming a Stray Devil?" Genshirou asked me.

Toujou-chan turned towards us and glared, "Yuuto-senpai is not a Stray Devil."

We both were frozen by that glare, and we only moved once Toujou-chan turned her head away.

"...like she said, Kiba isn't a Stray Devil. I think he's just trying to distance himself from Gremory-senpai so they don't get involved with his problem," I told Genshirou that.

He nodded, "You're probably right, he doesn't really seem like the type to betray Rias-senpai."

...why are you calling her so familiarly? I wanted to ask to Genshirou, but since I don't know Sitri-senpai's relationship with Gremory-senpai I decided not to. Maybe Genshirou is just like that.

As we walked around, looking for Kiba, I had an idea, "Toujou-chan, have you called Kiba's phone?"

My underclassman turned towards me and nodded, "Yuuto-senpai answered it... But he hung up when I asked him where he is…"

...yeah, I guess he wouldn't be giving away his location that easily.

"We need something that would catch Kiba's interest," Genshirou suggested.

Interest? Wait...

"...what if we search for Shidou and Quarta instead?"

Toujou-chan turned towards me, as if waiting for me to explain further.

"If we find them and say to Kiba that we are with those two, he'll definitely come," I explained to Toujou-chan.

"Who are they?" Genshirou seemed confused since he hadn't met Shidou and Quarta.

"They are Exorcists and wielders of Excaliburs," Hearing that Genshirou's face became pale, "Since Kiba wanted to destroy the Excaliburs, if we find those two, it'll be easier to convince Kiba to meet us."

"No way, I'm going back to the Academy," Genshirou turned around, "I'm fine with helping you guys look for Kiba but there's no way I'm going to fight Exorcists with Excaliburs!"

"Calm down, Genshirou. They are allies," I told him. He seemed to be skeptical but since he stopped, I guess that means he's willing to listen.

Toujou-chan and I then explained to him about how the Excaliburs got stolen and how Shidou and Quarta got the job to retrieve or destroy them.

"My plan is to have Kiba work together with them and destroy the stolen Excaliburs," I explained to Genshirou and Toujou-chan, "That way, the Exorcists can complete their mission and KIba gets his revenge. After that, he should come back to Gremory-senpai, right?"

Toujou-chan and Genshirou agreed to my plan, though Genshirou did it reluctantly.

"...wait, in the end we're fighting against Excaliburs anyway!"

You realized it too late, Genshirou.

For now, our problem is finding the Exorcists. They might wear unique clothes but they are in an undercover mission, it would be hard to fin-

"Please give blessings to the lost lamb~"

"Please give charity to us on behalf of the Father in Heaven!"

...we found them easily. Hey, is this alright, you Exorcists? Aren't you guys supposed to be secret agents or something like that?!

"...we were prosecuted against," ...no, people are giving you odd glances because of your attitude, "Is this the truth of Japan? This is why I dislike going to countries without any Faith."

"Don't say that, Xenovia. We lost all the money we had." ...how did that even happen, Shidou? "So we have to rely on charity from these heretics or else we can't get food, you know? Aaah, we can't even buy a single loaf of bread!"

...are they seriously asking for charity with that kind of attitude? No, in the first place, it is pathetic that you guys are asking for charity. Again, aren't you guys supposed to be secret agents?

"Hmph. It all happened because you bought that fake looking painting."

Xenovia pointed at a painting of a some guy that was drawn really badly. The hell is that painting? It had a foreigner wearing poor clothing and a baby Angel on the background with trumpet. ...what kind of idiot would believe that this painting is real?

"What are you saying? This painting has the drawing of a Saint! That's what the person in the exhibition said!"

...apparently, my childhood friend is an idiot.

"Then do you know who the person in the drawing is? I certainly don't."

...I'll be even more surprised if you guys can figure out who that is.

"...I think… it's... Saint... Peter?"

"Don't joke around. Saint Peter wouldn't look like this."

"No, he must have looked like this! I'm sure about it!"

"Aaah, why did my partner have to be someone like you…Lord, is this also a trial?"

"Hey don't hold your head down. You really get depressed when you are down, don't you."

"Shut up, Protestant! You guys have no respect for traditions! And now you're buying a painting that is clearly an insult to our Saint! Show some respect to the Saints!"

"What! Aren't you Catholics the ones who add your own rules freely? The Bible is enough! There's no need for a Pope or things like that!"

"What did you say, heretic?!"

"What did you say, heretic?!"

Those two started to argue by banging their heads against each other…

...they are idiots.

Then I heard rumbling sounds coming from their stomachs. The two Exorcists dropped to the ground with their stomach rumbling continuously.

"…First of all, let's do something to fill our stomachs. Without it, we won't even be able to _try_ to retrieve the Excaliburs."

"…You are right. Do you want to get money from the heretics by threatening them? I think God will forgive us if we threaten the heretics."

...no, your God is definitely not like that. Aren't you guys the ones who are spreading heresies?

"Do you plan to attack the shrine? Or do you plan to steal their offertory box? Let's not do either one of those. Let's use our swords to put on a performance. An entertainment like that should work in all kinds of country, right?."

"That's an excellent idea! If we make a show of cutting fruits with our Excaliburs, then we can gather money!"

What kind of thing are you using the Holy Swords for?! Aren't they supposed to be priceless relics?!

"Well... we don't have fruits. It can't be helped. Let's cut that picture."

"No! You can't cut this picture!"

...they are idiots. I realized deep in my heart. My childhood friend and the girl I fought against yesterday are idiots.

* * *

 **Ame-no-Uzume POV**

"...can you see them, Angel?" I asked my companion.

We are now standing near the enemy's 'camp', hiding behind a barrier I made using Chigaeshi-no-Ookami-sama's ability. Chiageshi-sama's ability was used by Izanagi-no-Mikoto-sama to block the path between Yomi and Nakatsukuni at Yomotsu-Hirasaka.

The ability I 'channeled' worked the same way, the area where Chigaeshi-sama's 'seals' are placed are considered a different world. Depending on the seals, Chigaeshi-sama can create different 'rules' for the 'other world'. The ones I am using now allows Kamael and I to hear and see what happens 'outside' but the beings 'outside' cannot hear or see us.

"Yes," The red-haired Angel nodded, "As expected, the remnants of Kokabiel's legion have gathered in this place. There are also Youkais among them, do you have an explanation, Ame-no-Uzume?"

...Youkai? Why are they here?

I shook my head, "Unfortunately, I have no idea why Youkais are helping Fallen Angels. I will ask Omikami-sama once we return."

Kamael nodded. Unexpectedly, for an Angel, he was quite trusting of me. Though he did state that he trusted me just because Metatron trusts me. It's still a lot better than my past interaction with the few Angels who negotiated with Omikami-sama during Shimabara Rebellion in the past.

Most Angels are not so friendly. In fact, they would not even acknowledge us as Gods, preferring to call us 'beings' or even 'creatures'. In case they do acknowledge our Divinity, they would call us Pagan Gods or something like that. ...honestly, what a troublesome bunch.

Kamael and Metatron are different, though. Metatron is just… eccentric. But I guess Kamael is a weird Angel as well, just in a different way. He seem more sane than the other Angel but he is too... obsessed with Issei-kun.

"Hey," I called out to him. He turned his head towards me, "What do you think we should do about them, Angel?" I motioned towards the army of Fallen Angels and Youkai gathering a few feet away from us.

"...Kokabiel is not here. Assuming that he is the mastermind behind this, destroying his army without slaying him would solve nothing. It would only cause him to hide, perhaps taking the Excaliburs with him."

Hmm… I don't get this problem with Excaliburs. As far as I am concerned, they are just slightly powerful swords, but nothing too special. Certainly nothing worth stealing or worth bringing an army for.

I shrugged, that city is not a part of Yaoyorozu-no-Kami's territory. So what happens there is not my business. Unfortunately, I still have to fight against them for two reasons. One is to investigate the reason why there are Youkais among them. And the other is to ensure Issei-kun's survival, as Omikami-sama has commanded.

"So we just leave them be?"

Kamael nodded, "Yes. We can't do anything until they make their move or Kokabiel reveals himself."

"That's a bad move," I commented, "The moment they enter the city, it's over, you realize that, right?"

He sighed, "...if possible, I would ignore all the politics and call down my legion. However, the situation is not that convenient. The moment I did that, the Devils would consider it as a hostile act."

Yes, I suppose they might do that. It could be a trigger to start another war between Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels. And since it happens on this land, the Yaoyorozu would probably get dragged into it as well.

"But your power is limited, right? You mentioned to Metatron and I about an agreement you made with the Lucifer. The reason why they accepted someone like _you_ in their territory."

Kamael nodded with an annoyed expression, "...yes. Should I fight in Kuoh, my power will be restrained. In your terms, my limited strength is about equal to a lesser Kami. Should I fight one on one against Kokabiel, it would end in a draw. Adding his legion to the equation, my chance of victory is almost nil."

...that sounds quite pessimistic, but I can't deny it. According to him, Kokabiel is eight times stronger than a 'normal' Fallen Angel. Using the Fallen Angels here as a standard, eight times of their power is around Kamael's restrained power.

He is correct, though. If the army joined their battle, Kamael would lose. But…

"But you have allies, don't you? The Devils and Issei-kun," I told him, "Can't they help you?"

Hearing my words, Kamael frowned, "Not possible. My flames are indiscriminate and unlike my siblings, Issei and the Devils have no resistance against my flames. If they attempt to assist me while I fight against Kokabiel, they will, most likely, be killed by my flames instead."

"Can't you control it?" I questioned him. It is rare to hear supernatural beings not able to control their own powers. For most of us, our powers are part of us and we can control them like we would control our own limbs.

The Angel had a bitter smile as he replied, "As I am right now? I cannot. Controlling the flames while it is weak is one thing, but against Kokabiel, I will need to unleash as much power as I can. Trying to maintain my control over the Flames of Gevurah in that state is… difficult."

Then…

"...what if we destroy them all at once? Using an attack that would not harm others assisting us."

One of Kamael's eyebrow rose, "Do you actually believe we can do that? Against this army numbered in thousands?"

I shot him an amused smile, "If we can't do it, then we'll just have to ask someone who can, yes?"

Realization flashed in his eyes.

"Let's go, Angel. We have preparations to make."

...and I have to report to Omikami-sama about this.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

...I, Hyoudou Issei, wanted to cry.

The spectacle before me is something beyond anything that I have ever seen. These two beings before me performed feats beyond human limits. As if to mock me further, with each of their accomplishment, a proof of their victory was placed in front of me.

"Delicious! Japanese cuisine is delicious!"

"Yes, yes! This is it! This is the taste of the food of my homeland!"

Indeed, before me were two towers. Towers made of empty plates, the remnants of their great battle against the foods of this family restaurant.

When I tried to approach them in the street, their hungry eyes met mine and I felt fear. Primal fear or an animal that is about to be eaten by another. That's why I said to them…

" _...umm, we're going out for a lunch now, do you two want to come with us?"_

Words that I regret saying now. The amount of foods they ate is abnormal! It's too much! It's certainly not in a level where I, a normal high-school boy can pay!

...uu… I could feel tears in my eyes, my wallet definitely won't survive this battle…

Toujou-chan offered to pay, but since I am her senpai and it would be uncool to let her pay, I recklessly said, _'Don't worry, I'll pay.'_

Even though I got paid a lot by Uzume-san as a thanks for finding Amaterasu-Omikami-sama, I already spent some of them to restock my games that were destroyed by Metatron-sensei (That bastard!) and now I have to spend the rest of them to pay for these… gluttonous monsters.

Damn it, Kiba! This is all your fault! I'll make you pay for half of this when I find you! How am I supposed to restock my games now?! No, thinking about it, this is all Metatron-sensei's fault! Damn you, Metatron-sensei!

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the two Exorcists ended their food massacre and made a cross.

"Thank you for the meal! Oh Lord, please grant blessings upon these kind souls! Amen!" Shidou prayed for us!

No wait, why the hell are you praying for Devils? Genshirou and Toujou-chan looked like they were taking damages!

"Ah, sorry," Shidou seem to notice Toujou-chan and Genshirou's reaction, "I did that without thinking."

Quarta then faced us with serious expression, "So, why did you come to us?"

...I don't think you have the right to act that cool since I had to pay for your meals…

"Shidou, Quarta. We want to help you destroy the Excaliburs," I told them straight out.

They both seemed surprised for a moment, then Shidou asked me.

"Why, Ise-kun?."

"I want to help a friend," I answered her, though I doubted my own words since I don't know if Kiba and I can be called 'friends'.

He's not just an acquaintance, but I don't think we are friends.

Quarta seemed to have realized something, "This is because of that Knight, correct?"

...yeah. I nodded.

For a moment, Quarta and Shidou were silent.

"...well, we are technically being helped by a human and not a Devil, right?" Shidou asked her partner.

The blue-haired Exorcist nodded, "Yes. If the human happens to be assisted by Devils, then there's no helping it. Since Chief-sama seem to be allied with him, it evens out."

"...that last part is strange! How can it 'evens out'? Your faith is weird, Xenovia!"

Quarta shrugged, "Probably. Either way, there's no reason to refuse Hyoudou Issei's offer, right?"

Shidou thought for a moment, "Yeah… I guess? Alright, Ise-kun and the two Devils, welcome to the team!" She told us that with a smile. "Oh, and Ise-kun, it's okay to call me Irina, you know. We're childhood friends, after all."

"You can just call me Xenovia, Hyoudou Issei," Xenovia told me as she offered me a handshake, which I accepted.

Alright! Now to call Kiba! Before I could tell her to, Toujou-chan already took out her phone and contacted Kiba.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

"I understand the situation."

...well, the 'bait' worked and Kiba is now sitting on one of the empty chair around our table. When Toujou-chan said that she and I are with the two Exorcists, Kiba immediately rushed here without complaint.

"...to tell you the truth, I am not too pleased that Excaliburs wielders like you two are giving me 'permission' to destroy it."

"That's a rude way to speak, Devil. If not because of your Master's position, I would have cut you down already."

Kiba and Xenovia are glaring at each other! Hey, you two! Save it for later, after we're done with the Excaliburs!

"So you do hold a grudge over the Holy Sword Project. A grudge against the Church and the Excaliburs."

...the Holy Sword Project… I still don't understand what it is. I decided to ask Kiba once we are done with this discussion.

Kiba's eyes narrowed at Irina's words.

"Obviously," His reply was cold.

"But Kiba-kun, thanks to that project, the research on Holy Sword wielders showed results. The Church managed to 'create' people like Xenovia and I who can wield Holy Swords."

"Does that justify the murder of test subjects your Church deem as failures? The murder of my friends?"

...murder? The Church… murdered Kiba's friends? Because they were 'failures'?

Irina did not respond to Kiba's words as he glared at her with hatred.

Xenovia was the one who answered Kiba. "That incident that befall you and your fellow orphans are deemed as a tragedy by the Church and the man in charge of the project was charged with heresy. From the reports, it seem that he has defected to the Grigori."

"To the Grigori? What is his name?" Kiba questioned Xenovia.

"Valper Galilei. The man known as the 'Genocide Archbishop.'"

"...Valper… Galilei…" Kiba muttered his enemy's name.

...damn, looks like I have to figure out how to stop him from pursuing this guy once we're done...

"...in exchange for that information," Kiba spoke to Xenovia and Irina, "I will share information as well. A few days ago, Hyoudou-kun and I fought against someone wielding Excalibur."

Xenovia and Irina were surprised and Toujou-chan moved her gaze between me and Kiba, as if wondering why we stayed quiet about it. Genshirou on the other hand, seemed to be surprised by another reason, he seem to be staring at Kiba and I with… respect?

"The person we fought was…" I wondered for a moment if they would recognize the name, "...Freed Sellzen."

Xenovia and Irina narrowed their eyes hearing that. Their faces full of distaste.

"I see… so it is him…"

"The Mad Prodigy, Freed Sellzen. A former Exorcist of Vatican. The genius who became an Exorcist at the age of 13. He was quite well known for eliminating many Devils and mythical creatures."

"But he went overboard. He killed his own allies. It seems that Freed never actually believe in God, the only thing he had was fighting instinct and killing intent towards monsters. He had an abnormal obsession for battles and because of those factors, he was charged for heresy and was excommunicated."

...so he's that famous, huh? I can understand their dislike, at least. Since Freed wants to kill me.

"...for now," Xenovia took out a memo and a pen, after writing something on it, she handed it to me. It was a phone number.

"We will search for Freed, if you guys find him, contact this number."

I nodded, "Thanks, then I'll give my number too," I was about to borrow her pen when Irina spoke.

"Ah, don't worry about that, your mom gave me your number, Ise-kun."

…what the hell is mom doing?! How can she just give my number like that?! Well, in this case, it's fine since Irina is friendly, but what if she thought I'm an enemy because I'm friendly with Gremory-senpai's group?!

"Then that's it then. We will repay you for the foods one day, Sekiryuutei, Hyoudou Issei," Xenovia told me as she and Irina stood up.

...no, I doubt you guys can do that, if I what I saw today is any indication…

"Thanks for the meal, Ise-kun! While you are not a believer, I'm sure God will help you since you are kind to us! Amen!"

...no, I'm already helped by your God, to be exact, I'm helped by Kamael… I don't think it has anything to do with treating you guys food…

After the two Exorcists left, Kiba turned towards us.

"...Koneko-chan, Hyoudou-kun, Genshirou-kun, I thank you for this chance. Thanks to that, I figured out the name of my enemy. But… why are you doing this?"

...this idiot… Toujou-chan was the one who replied to him.

"...Yuuto-senpai," She clung on Kiba's uniform and spoke with a sad expression, something that I had never seen on her face, "...I would be lonely… if senpai disappeared…"

I said nothing as she continued her words.

"...I will help you…" She looked up to Kiba with eyes that looked like they were going to cry, "...that's why… please… don't leave us…"

Kiba seemed to be surprised for a moment, but then he put on a kind smile and patted her head.

"...I give up. if Koneko-chan says that to me, I can't just go and be reckless, can I? Alright, I'll work with you all, even with the Exorcists. But since we're doing this, we should make sure that we defeat the Excalibur."

Toujou-chan smiled hearing Kiba's words. It was a smile full of happiness and relief. ...yeah, it doesn't seem that Kiba will leave again but...

"...Kiba, can we talk? ...in a more suitable place that is."

For a moment, Kiba was surprised, but then he had a resigned smile, "...lead the way, Hyoudou-kun."

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

I brought Kiba, Toujou-chan, and Genshirou to the grounds near the Ninja Mansion. To ensure there won't be any problem, I contacted Metatron-sensei using my phone and asked him for a permission to use the empty ground.

...I also asked him not to let Uzume-san and Kamael come here, since I don't want to be interrupted.

"...isn't this far enough, Hyoudou-kun?" Kiba asked me.

Genshirou seemed confused, "Far enough? For what?"

"This," I turned towards Kiba and swung my fist.

Kiba allowed the fist to hit him and he fell to the ground.

Toujou-chan rushed to Kiba's side while glaring at me. "Hyoudou-senpai, what are you doing?!" She raised her voice because I punched Kiba. Sorry, Toujou-chan, but this is something I have to do.

"...Genshirou, sorry, can you subdue her somehow?" I decided to ask for his assistance, since I doubt I can restrain Toujou-chan.

Genshirou had face full of shock, "No way! Why should I help you?!"

"...because I have to beat Kiba up for making Gremory-senpai, Himejima-senpai and Toujou-chan sad."

...yeah. From the start, back when we first fought Freed a few days ago, I helped Kiba not because he is my friend or anything like that.

The Occult Research Club helped me a lot, they saved me in my first real fight in the abandoned church.

When I explained about my urges, my instincts, they helped me train by taking me with them to hunt Stray Devils.

Since they helped me a lot, I decided to help them back. And…

"...beating you up and making you understand their feelings seem like a good idea to me," I told Kiba that as the Boosted Gear materialized itself on my left arm.

Still lying on the ground, Kiba gave me a fake smile, "...isn't that just your self-satisfaction?"

I grinned, "Yeah, it is." It's the same as when I helped Asia. "But if my selfishness can save a few people along the way, it's worth it."

"You know, Hyoudou-kun. It's quite late but..." Kiba stood up, a jet-black sword appearing in his hand, "...I can't get along with you after all."

"Right back at you, bastard!" I ran towards him, taking out the blade Kamael gave me. And activating its Darkness Blade. As I did so, Toujou-chan seemed to have decided not to interfere, stepping away from Kiba.

[Boost!]

"...you used Darkness Blade so that I can't erase it with Holy Eraser, Hyoudou-kun? Seems like you're smarter than I thought," Kiba commented as his light-devouring Demonic Sword, Holy Eraser clashed with my Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade (Prototype).

I shot him a glare, "Aren't you looking down on me too much, Kiba?!"

Kiba shook his head, still with that annoying smile, "...no, I think I overestimated you," He disappeared.

Damn! Knight's Speed, huh? But you're not the only one with tricks, Kiba. I took out a smoke bomb and threw it, just as Kiba appeared before me with his sword raised.

[Transfer!]

The empowered smoke bomb exploded, creating enough smoke to cover the whole grounds. I dashed away from where I stood moments ago, it might be cowardly, but the only way I can win against skilled people like Kiba is by stalling for time while Boosting myself.

"...this won't help you much, Hyoudou-kun," Kiba spoke to me, though we couldn't see each other because of the smoke. "I can just create swords to from the ground. If I keep doing that, you'll run out of place to hide."

"Try it, bastard," I taunted him, "You'll hit Toujou-chan too."

...there was a silence and no swords came. ...it's a cowardly move, but this way, I can make him understand that he'll hurt people around him if he do something reckless like that.

[Boost!]

"...then I just have to find you and cut you down directly," Kiba declared.

...wordlessly, I deactivated my sword and closed my eyes.

Just like that time with the Oni, I have to concentrate. ...let that rush of energy run through me…

 _If I don't kill him, he will kill me. That's why..._

"...found you," I heard Kiba's voice coming from behind me.

 _...Kill..._

I heard Kiba gasp in surprise and he jumped away from me.

" _...I can't believe you're actually using your uncontrollable instinct to create killing intent,"_ Ddraig commented. _"Impressive, kid."_

Yeah, killing intent, or bloodthirst is something impossible for me to 'create' normally. But, with this urge to kill rushing through my body, I was able to replicate Freed's bloodthirst. Even if it is just to surprise Kiba for a moment, that is enough.

Freed showed to me that murderous intent can be useful. Most people thought that killing intent came from 'aura' or anything like that, but from what I see in Freed and other opponents I fought, killing intent actually came from behaviors.

The easiest way to explain it is Freed. The hatred and insanity in his eyes, the way he speak and moves, all of them made me wary and while that wariness can be useful since that made me focus my attention on Freed, it can also make me too cautious.

Just like what happened to Kiba. He must be quite surprised since he didn't expect me to be able to create this bloodthirst.

[Boost!]

Again, I moved, picking a random spot away from the source of his voice.

...this should be far enough, I thought as I stopped moving.

"...that was a good trick, Hyoudou-kun. I guess that bloodthirst came from the 'killing instinct' you mentioned to Buchou?"

Huh, he's really smart. He figured it out instantly, I guess that trick is useless now.

"But do you honestly think that something on that level is enough to help you win?" Kiba asked me seriously, all trace of lightheartedness gone in his voice.

"...Kiba," I called out to him, of course, I couldn't see his reaction, "...don't worry. I'll reach you soon enough," I declared to him.

...yeah, just like that time with Raynare. The Boosted Gear is a fitting Sacred Gear for me. For a human among powerful beings like you guys, the Boosted Gear gave me a fighting chance. At the very least, it allows my fist to reach you.

"...I see," His voice came from the same place as before, looks like he's not moving, "I guess I should end this game soon."

I heard sounds of things bursting out of the ground. No, not 'things', but swords.

"Bastard?! Don't you care about Toujou-chan?"

"Koneko-chan is safe, behind me," Kiba's voice was cold as he replied to me, "...as for you. I will make you pay for using her to threaten me."

Even though the situation seemed bad as the sounds of swords grew closer towards me, I grinned.

Yeah, he might be a bastard, but the way he's protecting Toujou-chan proves that he consider her as precious.

[Boost!]

I rushed through the attacking swords, wielding the activated Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade (Prototype) in my right hand.

From the direction where the swords are coming from and his voice, I can make a good guess of his location.

There!

I swung my sword when I saw a figure hidden in the smoke.

CLANG!

There was a sound of my Darkness Blade hitting steel. The figure wasn't Kiba but a massive sword he created.

"Sorry, you missed," Kiba's voice came from the right and he rushed towards me from the smoke, blades in his hands. One of them I recognize as Holy Eraser while the other is a sword made of ice.

I grunted and swung my blade, clashing with one of his sword, he tried to hit me with the ice sword but I drew a kunai with my left hand and deflected the other blade with it.

"...that's not a normal kunai," He observed.

Yeah, good guess. It is a kunai blessed by the Voice of God after all! It should be able to withstand a few hits from a Demonic Sword.

"It isn't," That's all I told him as I deflected his blades with my kunai and tried to stab him with the Darkness Blade.

Kiba swung his blade towards mine, deflecting my stab, but I wasn't done yet.

[Transfer!]

Blade of Light bursted out from the Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade (Prototype), replacing its dark counterpart.

I swung the empowered weapon at Kiba who tried to deflect it with his Holy Eraser. but it cut through the light devouring blade easily.

Kiba gritted his teeth and the ice sword in his hand disappeared. He put both of his hands together and created a jet-black two-handed sword, it looked similar to the Holy Eraser but it seemed… stronger.

He swung it downwards towards me and I raised my blade to meet his. The swords clashed, neither managing to cut through the other.

"...I won't lose…" Kiba muttered, "...you alone… I don't want to lose against **you**!"

As I heard Kiba's voice, filled with an emotion I could not understand, I saw the two-handed Holy Eraser slowly cutting through the Light Blade.

[Boost!]

[Transfer!]

I transferred the power I received to the sword instantly, increasing its power and stopping Kiba's sword. We glared at each other for a moment, but then…

I released my blade and allowed myself to fall to the ground..

Kiba's eyes widened as his sword cut through the air. I took the chance and uppercutted the Knight.

Since my strength wasn't boosted at all, it just made him flinch a bit but that was enough as I spoke to him, "...told you I will reach you. ...stop making your friends worry about you, bastard."

For a moment, Kiba did not react, he just stared at my fist blankly, but then he chuckled, the chuckle soon turned into laughter as he fell to the ground, his sword disappearing.

"...Kiba is laughing?!"

I stared at him blankly, and judging from Genshirou's comment, he was as surprised as I am.

"...hahaha... " Kiba's laughter finally stopped as he looked at me with a sad smile, "...yeah, Hyoudou-kun. ...you reached me."

…

As we were resting, Kiba told us his story.

He was one of the orphans gathered by the Church for an experiment to create Holy Sword wielders. All of the orphans possess sword-related Sacred Gears, in his case, the Sword Birth.

Even though they were experimented on, even though they were not treated as humans by the people there. They were happy. Because there, they found friends, no, not friends. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them a family.

They were told that God love them and that this experiment would turn them into special beings. So they dreamed. They dreamed of becoming Holy Sword wielders, to be considered 'special'.

But that dream did not come true. The Church deemed them as failures and they were disposed of. Kiba, no, the man who is now known as 'Kiba Yuuto' is the only survivor.

"…Everyone died. They were killed. Killed by those who serve God. No one saved us. Just because we couldn't use the holy-swords. Other boys and girls were put under poisonous gas while still alive. They put poisonous gas on us while saying 'Amen.' We vomited blood and suffered on the floor. Even so, we were seeking help from God."

Kiba told us how his friend sacrificed himself to save him. How he laid dying because of the poisonous gas. It was by pure chance that he was found by Gremory-senpai who came to observe Italy, to observe the Vatican.

He was saved and was given a new life but…

"I want to fulfill my family's wishes. I don't want their deaths to be in vain. I need to keep on living in their place, and I have to prove... that I am stronger than the Excalibur."

"Uuuuuuu…sob…"

While we were listening to Kiba's past, one of us was crying. It was Genshirou, tears falling out of his eyes as he speak to Kiba.

"Kiba! It must have been horrible! It must have been painful! Damn it! There isn't any God or hope in this world! Right now I feel so much sympathy for you! Yeah, it's a horrible story! I understand why you hold a grudge against those people from the Church and Excalibur!"

...yeah, I understand what Genshirou mean. Those were the same feelings I had when I listened to Asia, and now, to Kiba.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't like you before because you were a good looking guy…"

...what is this person saying in this situation?!

"…But it's different now! I will also help! I'm willing to receive the punishment from Kaichou! But before that we have to destroy Excalibur! I will also work hard! You also have to live on! Don't ever betray Rias-senpai who saved you!"

Then Genshirou continued, though he seemed a bit shy, he declared with glittering eyes. "Okay! It's a good time! I want you guys to hear my story! You guys should know about me if we are working together!"

Is he going to tell us how he became a Devil? I admit, I'm a bit curious since Gremory-senpai offered me a place in her Peerage.

"My dream is to…" He took a deep breath, "…make Kaichou pregnant and marry her! But, you know… making a girl pregnant and marrying her is hard for an unpopular guy like me. There aren't any girls that I can make pregnant to begin with… But I will one day make her pregnant and marry her…"

...this guy is an idiot. I didn't meant that in a bad way. It's like seeing myself from a few months ago, actually. Seeing myself before I… met Raynare. So we just smiled wryly as Genshirou declared his dream.

"...Genshirou," I called out to him. He turned towards me, seems like he's a bit embarrassed by the declaration as his cheeks were red, "...that's a good dream. But..." _You shouldn't be too optimistic_ , "...you should focus on making her happy first before thinking about marriage. One step at a time, you know."

He nodded, "I know, Hyoudou! I swear I'll make her happy!"

Toujou-chan, Kiba, and I watched as Genshirou became fired up with varying emotions.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

I was silent as I made my way home.

...Kiba's past. ...it is similar to Asia's. Kiba and his family were also people abandoned by the Church. Someone who God did not save. ...I felt a familiar feeling of guilt, guilt over being saved, in my heart.

" _...I won't lose…"_

I see… That emotion I felt from Kiba during that last clash is...

" _...you alone… I don't want to lose against_ _ **you**_ _!"_

...envy.

...it would be natural for him to felt that. I was saved. Unlike Asia, unlike his family, I was saved. I did not believe in God, but He saved me. He saved me while people like Kiba, while people like Asia, suffered.

I stopped walking as I saw someone standing on the side of the road.

"...Kiba, what are you doing here?" I asked him.

Kiba didn't answer me, he just looked up to the evening sky. "...hey, Hyoudou-kun, can I ask you something?"

"...what is it?" I had a feeling that I know what he would ask me.

"...what makes you special?" Kiba asked me, turning towards me with a smile on his face. The same sad smile he had at the end of our fight. "...why did He save you, but not us?"

"...I don't know," I answered him truthfully.

Kiba nodded, "...I suppose you wouldn't know. But that's fine. Hyoudou-kun, will you listen to my confession?"

"...I'm not a priest. I won't be able to help you."

...yeah, I'm not like Irina's father. The kind uncle who would listen to his problems and give a good advice. ...I'm just a selfish kid.

"That's alright," Kiba kept his smile as he spoke to me, "...I envy you. No, not only you, I also envy Asia Argento. When we first met at that Church, when I first saw that Angel with you and Asia. I thought… _'why them? Why didn't he come for me and my friends?'_ It might be childish to you, but to me, it was a question that haunted me for a long time. Why didn't God save us?"

...I listened to his words, his feelings, without saying anything..

"When I heard from Buchou, that you were saved by that Angel. And that you fought to save that nun. That ugly feeling came back. I envied you who were saved by God. I envied Asia who were saved by you. Why can't the same happen to my friends? I was saved by Buchou and I am extremely grateful, but... she couldn't save my friends. Since I saw that Angel with you, I wondered, if it wasn't Buchou who found me, but an Angel, would they be able to save my friends? Would they be able to bring me to see them?"

"...the first time I actually talked with you was when we met Freed a few days ago. At that time, you told me you'll help me so Buchou and the others won't be sad. Back then, I wanted to punch you, ask you what you know about us. You are blessed by God, while we are Devils. You were saved, while I was abandoned by Him."

...so he felt like that. I didn't even realize…

"But then, you didn't say anything to Buchou about Freed. And you even brought me to Metatron-san and Uzume-san. While part of me still hated you, I was glad. Because I can see that you are really trying to help me."

"...and today, after I left Buchou and the rest, you helped Koneko-chan find me. You spoke with the Exorcists and involved yourself further into this mess for us. ...that's why, I'm really grateful. But… I need to know… why..."

There's no need for him to continue, I know what he wanted to ask.

"...I guess, like you said, it's just self-satisfaction," I answered his unspoken question. "...I was supposed to die when I met Raynare, but Kamael saved me. I thought it was 'normal', that Angels would save people from Fallen Angels and Devils. But then I met Asia and I realize there are still a lot of people who are suffering. in this world, even if Angels exist, there are still people who aren't saved. But… I still thought that it's not my business, that I don't have to do anything."

This time, he was the one who listened to me quietly.

"...when I saw your reaction to the Excalibur days ago, I thought that you might act reckless and get yourself killed. Imagining the pain Gremory-senpai, Himejima-senpai, and Toujou-chan would feel if that happened makes me sad. That's why I helped you, so I won't feel that sadness. So I don't feel guilty because I was saved."

"Today, Toujou-chan came to me with a sad expression. The Occult Research Club helped me a lot and Toujou-chan is a good girl but you made her sad. I don't like that. That's why I helped her. That's why, even when you made up with Toujou-chan, I still challenged you to a fight."

"...stupid, right?" I laughed, but Kiba did not say anything, "...I acted so cool, saying this like I wanted to make you understand Gremory-senpai, Himejima-senpai, and Toujou-chan's feelings. But I actually did it just because I don't like you making them sad."

…

"...that's fine…"

I turned towards Kiba with a shocked expression.

"...I said, that's fine, Issei-kun," Kiba had a smile as he said that, "Even if you did it out of selfishness, even if you did it just because you don't like what I did. You still helped us. That's why it's fine."

"...is that really fine?"

"It is fine. I'm really glad that I have met you, Issei-kun." He gave me a reassuring nod. Then Kiba offered me a handshake.

I accepted it, shaking his hand with my own.

* * *

 **...honestly, I don't know where the line between friendship and 'beyond friendship' lies. I attempted to write a friendship scene between Issei and Kiba, but since I only have Kiba's post-Excalibur personality to go on while writing it, it ended up like... well, the scene above.**

 **Might as well declare it so there's no misunderstanding:**

 **This is not a yaoi story.**

* * *

 **Chigaeshi-no-Ookami: A Kami representing 'boundary', Izanagi used him to block the path of Yomotsu (Hellish) army that Izanami sent after him.  
**

 **Yomotsu-Hirasaka: The pathway connecting Nakatsukuni and Yomi.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD.**

 **Warning, this story contains religious and mythological elements. The author does not mean any disrespect to the mentioned religious views.**

 **Thanks to Wrathie Winsre for the cover image!  
**

 **I'll be replying to Guests Reviewers here since they can't be PM'd.**

 **dragon rider: That's good... Hmm... since Kiba can 'develop' Dragon Slayers, so there might be a Sacred Gear related to Dragonic Sword or Dragon-related Gears. I mean, both Kiba and Jeanne's Blade Blacksmith's Balance Breakers are Dragon-related, right?  
**

 **No problem.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 **The Angel of Stars**

* * *

 **This chapter has been Beta'd by Wrathie Winsre.**

* * *

 **Kamael POV**

"...no, I will not allow you to send Vali Lucifer to this city."

Azazel attempted to explain his choice of personnel to me.

"There is no need to send the Vanishing Dragon to handle Kokabiel. I should be able to subdue Kokabiel alone."

…

"Yes, my power is limited. But it is enough to defeat a single Carde. Especially since he is not a warrior like Barakiel. Kokabiel is simply… a ghost, stuck in the past."

Azazel sighed, trying to convince me to accept the Vanishing Dragon's assistance once more.

"...can you promise that he will not harm Hyoudou Issei?"

There was no answer.

"Then you know my answer, Azazel. Do not worry, even if I have to break some rules, I will not allow Kokabiel to threaten the peace you love so much."

...the Governor of Fallen Angel disconnected the call.

Such a troublesome friend.

...when I looked at the phone I held in my hand, I noticed that I have received two messages.

"...Michael and Lady Seraphiel…"

...how annoying...

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

"Heeyy! Shitty human! Been quite a long time, huh? Where's the Angel?"

…Freed. I guess using myself as bait was a good idea after all.

He attacked me while I'm alone, in a forest. ...which is strange, since it's quite obvious that I'm luring him to a trap.

I stayed silent, the Boosted Gear manifesting on my left arm.

[Boost!]

A bloodthirsty smile appeared on his face, "I guess you won't tell me anything, huh? Then I just have to stab you until you speak!"

"Genshirou!" I shouted as I jumped away from Freed who tried to attack me with the Excalibur Rapidly.

When he heard my shout, Genshirou rushed out from behind a tree.

"Stretch, my line!" A blue 'line' appeared from the 'weapon' on Genshirou's arm. The weapon looked like a deformed face of a lizard.

" _That's not a lizard. It's a Dragon,"_ Ddraig corrected me as I watched Freed's futile attempts to slash the line before it got to him.

The line created by Genshirou's Sacred Gear avoided the Excalibur Rapidly, and wrapped itself around one of his leg. From the way it moved, I thought it might actually be 'alive'.

"That's it?" Freed seemed annoyed by the 'line', "This is the 'trap' you guys prepared? Boring!" He swung his sword towards the line.

For a moment, I was worried that the line would be cut but Freed's blade just went through it as if it didn't exist.

" _The Prison Dragon, Vritra. One of the most troublesome Dragon I've ever fought. I heard his soul got cut up and sealed into four Sacred Gears. Seems like this one is his restraining ability."_

Genshirou grinned, "You won't cut that line easily! Kiba! Now's your chance!"

In an instant, Kiba appeared before Freed with Demonic Swords in his hands, launching an assault at the Exorcist. I would interfere, but Kiba told me that he wanted to fight against Freed alone and asked me to help him only when it seems like he was in danger.

...because of that, we left Toujou-chan in the Academy, telling her that Gremory-senpai would be suspicious if she skip classes again.

"So you're here too?!" Freed swung the Holy Sword rapidly, meeting Kiba's attacks with his own. Just with a single clash, the swords Kiba held crumbled. "Haven't you learned anything?! Normal Demonic Swords can't do anything against my Excalibur-chan!"

Kiba smirked, "So?" Flames burst out from the swords that were crumbling, and the swords recreated themselves and Kiba continued his attack.

"I got this idea after seeing that Angel's blade and how Issei-kun fought using his own blade," Kiba spoke as Freed barely parried the swords using Excalibur Rapidly's 'speed', "Seems like it worked."

Kiba said that he developed the sword based on Kamael's Flaming Sword and his own Flame Delete, a sword made of ice, that has the capability to 'regrow' its blade with ice.

The flame swords Kiba created worked the same way as Flame Delete, but with flames. Because of that, when Freed tried to cut them down, the sword simply reformed itself.

He said that he was planning to use the same method as I used when I fought Xenovia, to create swords that can reform itself even when destroyed.

I questioned him why does he need 'fire' swords when he have the ice swords. But all he told me was that he had an idea to destroy the Excaliburs.

Kiba swung one of the fire sword towards Freed's hand, attempting to cut it off.

The Excalibur Rapidly glowed and Freed's enhanced speed made it possible for him to react to Kiba's attack. The excommunicated Exorcist broke the blade Kiba used to attack him. But it was useless as flames 'regrew' the sword in a few seconds.

"I doubt you can keep this up," Kiba spoke to Freed as their swords clashed multiple times, "Even if you are strong, you're just a human. Maintaining that speed can't be easy for you."

"Fuck you!" Freed cursed as his speed suddenly increased, attempting to stab Kiba. Kiba placed his two swords on the path of Freed, but Excalibur Rapidly went through them easily. The flames appeared once more, but the swords did not reform completely as Excalibur Rapidly blocked their path.

The Excalibur Rapidly that had glowed red because of the heat grew closer to Kiba. "Kiba!" I shouted, rushing towards him.

CLANG!

"...finally," Kiba had a vicious smile as the Excalibur Rapidly clashed with a sword made of ice that bursted out from the ground. Kiba also created two Flame Deletes in his hand. The Flame Devouring swords 'ate' the flames his previous sword created and created blades made of ice.

Freed's eyes widened in shock as he realized that the Excalibur Rapidly failed to pierce through Kiba's Demonic Swords. The Holy Sword itself was frozen by the three Flame Deletes Kiba created.

Kiba released the two swords he held and created a massive two-handed sword. The 'stronger' Holy Eraser he used against me. "...break, Excalibur!" The Knight swung down his blade...

...cutting the Excalibur Rapidly, the fragment of the Strongest Holy Sword, into two.

"No way!" Freed screamed in disbelief as he stared at his sword with wide eyes, "My Excalibur-chan got destroyed?! By a 'fake' sword?! IMPOSSIBLE!"

"...I did it…" Kiba's eyes were focused on the broken Holy Sword. He seemed to be stuck between disbelief and euphoria, "I defeated Excalibur!"

Genshirou and I grinned and rushed towards Kiba but our joy was cut short when we heard a voice.

"I see… it appears that because we used 'human' techniques to create the Excalibur fragments. They possess a weakness that the original did not possess," We turned our head towards the source of the voice and saw an old man wearing a priest robe and hat. "...to think that we made such a blunder and allowed a Devil to destroy one of the Excalibur…"

"Old man Valper!" Freed seemed surprised to see him there.

...Valper? As in…

"Valper Galilei?!"

Any trace of happiness disappeared from Kiba's face as he glared at the priest, his eyes filled with hatred.

"Yes, that is who I am," The old man seemed unconcerned by Kiba's glare.

"Old man, my Excalibur-chan got destroyed!"

Valper Galilei sighed, "Yes, unfortunately I saw that. This complicates our plan, Freed. Fortunately, you still have what remains of it in your hand. Bring it back to the lab and maybe we can salvage it."

"Okay, old man!" As Freed attempted to escape...

"There's no way I'm letting you escape!" Genshirou shouted as he pulled his hand, preventing Freed to move further, at the same time, the line glowed. Since it is a Sacred Gear, I assumed that this is its special ability.

" _Yeah, Absorption Line. Using it, Vritra can restrain and absorb his opponent's power. And the absorbed energy can be transferred to other objects or beings,"_ Ddraig informed me.

That's a lot like my Transfer! But instead of using Boosted power, it uses absorbed power.

"This guy's lizard tongue is annoying, old man! I can't even cut it!" As if to show it, Freed swung what left of his sword, it went through the 'line', just like before.

"Fool! That's because you're just waving that sword around without using it properly! Use the _element_ I gave you more wisely. Gather the holy energy in your body and send it to the Holy Sword. With that, you should be able to cut even those without a 'physical' body like that line."

Hearing that, Freed closed his eyes and the broken Holy Sword started to glow.

"I won't let you!"

[Boost!]

Kiba and I rushed towards him, intent on knocking him unconscious before he could do anything. But it was too late, Freed swung the glowing sword and cut the Absorption Line.

Seeing that, Kiba increased his speed, but with the enhanced speed Excalibur Rapidly gave him, Freed managed to reach Valper before Kiba can catch him. Damn it! So even though it broke, the Excalibur Rapidly still can give him a speed boost!

"I'll be escaping now!" Freed told us with a grin. "Let's go, old ma-"

"I will not let you escape!" A black blur rushed from the forest and Xenovia's Excalibur Destruction clashed with Freed's Excalibur Rapidly.

"Yaho! Ise-kun! We'll be joining in!" Irina appeared beside me, her Excalibur Mimic in the shape of a katana.

"Freed Sellzen! Valper Galilei! In the name of God, you shall be judged!" Xenovia declared, swinging her sword towards Freed.

"Tch! Dogs from the Church, huh?! So they sent Excalibur wielders after us?!" Freed cursed as he avoided her attack.

"Hmm…" I narrowed my eyes, the old man Valper seemed to be planning something as he gazed at Xenovia and Irina's Excaliburs. "...Freed. We are retreating."

"Okay, old man!" Freed took out a ball of light, what is that? "You," His eyes met Kiba's, "...I won't forget this humiliation, shitty Devil."

He threw the ball of light to the ground and it exploded. Causing a light that blinded our eyes.

...by the time we opened our eyes, Freed and Valper were gone.

"We're going after them, Irina!" Xenovia rushed, perhaps she had some kind of way to track Freed's location.

"Yes!"

"Ise-kun, I'm pursuing them as well!" Kiba told me as he ran after the two Exorcists.

"Wait, don't chase after them!" My shout was too late as the three had left Genshirou and I behind. I turned to Genshirou, "Genshirou! Tell Gremory-senpai about this! I have a feeling that we'll be needing back up soon."

...I don't like the way Valper stared at the Excaliburs. ...whatever he is planning, I would feel better if Gremory-senpai or Kamael is around.

Genshirou nodded and ran towards the Kuoh Academy while I made my way to the Ninja Mansion.

* * *

 **Kamael POV**

"...they are moving," I informed Ame-no-Uzume. Her capability to invoke other deities to assist her is quite useful, especially since one of them can create this 'space'. However, since this is not her 'original' ability, she must continuously expend a massive amount of energy simply to maintain it.

Her eyes narrowed when she heard me, "Destination?"

"They are scattering themselves around the city. But their target is, most likely, Kuoh Academy."

Indeed, the place where Devils of this city would gather and the base of operation for the sisters of the Lucifer and the Leviathan. If they would attack Kuoh, then it is the most likely target.

"How did your negotiation go?" I asked her. Depending on her answer, it would determine the plan I will use in this confrontation.

Ame-no-Uzume let out a tired sigh, "...he agreed. Though he would only allow me to summon him once."

...how unfortunate.

"And the other one?"

She shook her head, "Omikami-sama has yet to give her answer."

"Let us hope that _he_ is enough, then."

"...how strange, shouldn't an Angel say something like 'let's pray to God' or something like that?"

I gave her a bitter smile, "...I should, shouldn't I?"

...unfortunately, there is no one who can answer that prayer.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

I found Kamael and Uzume-san in the Ninja Mansion.

"...my apologies, Issei. I have something urgent to do. However, I advise you to seek the Devils' help."

...those words immediately rang alarm bells in my mind. Kamael would never say something like 'seek the Devils' help'. Whatever it is that is about to happen, I can already tell that it will be unlike what I had experienced before.

Uzume-san gave me an assuring smile, "Don't worry about us. We'll join you soon."

I don't think they will tell me anything, so I left the mansion with a nod. Rushing to Kuoh Academy, hoping that I'm not too late.

"...I feel his power. But I don't see him. Is it coming from you, boy?" A voice spoke to me from above as I ran through the city. This voice held 'something' in it, similar to the 'something' that I felt from Kamael and Metatron.

I immediately jumped away. Boosted Gear manifesting. Lost in thoughts, I just realized that there were no other person in this street other than I.

[Boost!]

"And you own the Boosted Gear as well," The voice spoke, I looked up to the sky and saw a Fallen Angel with five pairs of black wings floating. "It appears that you are an interesting human. If I was Azazel, I would have recruited you by now."

...Azazel! Kamael's friend. That means, this Fallen Angel must be one of the Grigori. And the only Grigori whose name I heard recently is…

"...are you Kokabiel?" I asked him, my body tense.

The Fallen Angel smiled viciously, "Indeed I am. How did you know my name, boy? Did my nemesis tell you, my name? Did the Archangel of Gevurah spoke of me?"

...the Archangel… of Gevurah…?

"Are you talking about Kamael?" I questioned him.

Hearing Kamael's name, Kokabiel's smile widened. "Yes, Kamael, Chamuel, Kamiel, whatever name you humans are calling him now. I can feel his Flame from you, why is that?"

...Kamael's 'Flame'... Could it be…

I took out the sword Kamael gave me.

" _...normally, you wouldn't be able to use this weapon as it requires spiritual energy to use, but I put my feather inside it. At the very least, the energy in that feather should be enough for a month of continuous use."_

"Hm? That is one of Azazel's toy, isn't it? Did Kamael give that to you? Along with his Flame?"

Since Kokabiel seemed like he is curious, I decided to answer him. It is better if I avoid provoking him. I definitely won't survive if I fight against him alone.

"...he gave me his feather."

Kokabiel nodded, "I see… even though you are the wielder of Boosted Gear, you lack the energy needed to power that blade. So he empowered his feather with enough power and put it inside that weapon so you can use it."

...he figured it out instantly!

This guy is not just strong, but he is smart as well…

"But he not only gave you his Holy Energy, but also a portion of his Flame. I never knew that he could do that," Kokabiel seemed amused, "To give such blessing to a human... It appears that he hasn't changed after all. As expected from the Outcast."

...outcast?

"What do you mean by outcast?" I asked him, both because of curiosity and to stall for time.

"Did he not tell you? No, of course he didn't. I doubt he cares. Kamael is quite infamous among Angels as a black sheep." ...a black sheep? Kamael? "Of course, none of them doubted his capability, but the fact that he is the brother of the First Fallen Angel, Samael and his friendship with Azazel planted seeds of distrust among the Heavenly Host."

Then Kokabiel pointed towards me with a smirk, "His fixation on humans does not help at all. It is simply abnormal for one of the Angels to possess such an obsession on something that is not God. Even us, Fallen Angels, cannot understand the way he thinks. Yet, even when our brothers and sisters shun him, he never fell. Even after thousands years, I had never seen his wings turn black. Truly, he is a one-of-a-kind deviant."

...I don't really get it, but…

"...are you insulting my friend?" My eyes narrowed as I activated my weapon. A blade of light manifesting.

[Boost!]

Kokabiel shook his head, still smirking, "On the contrary, I am praising him. That twisted nature of his is the source of his strength. That insanity he possess is the reason why he had not lost his path. Even after the War, even after _that_ happened."

... _that_?

"Hyoudou-kun!" Gremory-senpai called out to me as she, Himejima-senpai, and Toujou-chan rushed towards me.

"...it seems that our conversation is over, boy. Such a pity, I would love to share more stories about the Archangel of Gevurah with you."

...I could sense something in his words as he spoke about Kamael. Was it… admiration? No, it wasn't something as 'warm' as that.

Then he turned towards Gremory-senpai and with a smile, he spoke.

"This is our first meeting, sister of Lucifer. It appears that the rumors are true, your crimson hair is indeed beautiful," Then his smile disappeared, replaced by a bloodthirsty grin, "...it reminds me of your disgusting brother that I loathe so much."

...his attitude took a 180 compared to when he spoke with me.

"...Fallen Angel, Kokabiel. Why are you here?" Gremory-senpai ignored his words, "I will inform you that while we, the Gremory clan, are the closest to the Lucifer, we are also the furthest from it. It is useless to speak with us about politics."

Kokabiel's grin widened, "There's no need for politics. We never needed something like that in the first place. I'm just here to declare something to you Devils."

...declare something? We tensed.

"I will be rampaging around this town for a while. If I kill you and the Sitri girl, the Lucifer and the Leviathan will appear, won't they?"

...it was stated so callously. That declaration was given as if he was just talking about the weather.

"...if you do something like that, the War between God, Fallen Angels, and Devils, will start again. You do realize that, don't you?"

Kokabiel nodded calmly, "Of course. I thought that Michael would start a war if I steal the Excaliburs… but that coward just sent Exorcists instead. That's really boring. So I thought that I can provoke the Devils instead. If the Lucifer see his sister's dead body, that should be enough for him to start a war, right?"

...Michael is one of the most famous Angel, and from what Kamael told me, he is above Kamael in rank and power, and Kokabiel is trying to pick a fight with someone like that?!

"...that Angel is right. You're a battle-freak."

"Yes, yes I am. Do you realize how pathetic we have become?! We fought so fiercely in the war! We killed Devils and Angels! Angels killed Fallen Angels and Devils! Devils killed Angels and Fallen Angels! That was the world that we lived in! But, what about now?! The Angels are deluding themselves and their believers! The Devils are pretending to live like humans! Azazel and Shemyaza got obsessed with Sacred Gears! I can understand if they're researching them for war but Azazel said things like using those weapons for peace! Peace! A Fallen Angel that talks about peace, how stupid!"

...we listened to his rant with wide eyes. This guy is crazy! He's saying that he'll start a war between Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils!

"You're insane. Do you actually think I will allow that?!" Gremory-senpai had determined eyes as she stepped towards Kokabiel, "This city is my territory! I won't let you cause chaos here!"

Kokabiel grinned, "Then consider this as my declaration of war, Gremory," Kokabiel motioned his hand and something dropped from the sky, that's… Irina!

[Boost!]

I rushed towards the falling girl and caught her in my hands. She was covered in wounds and blood… did Kokabiel do this to her?! What happened to Kiba and Xenovia?!

I looked up to the sky and saw several Fallen Angels flying around Kokabiel. The one who dropped Irina must be one of them. I looked up further and saw a sight that caused me to pale.

Fallen Angels flying in the sky, gazing towards us as if they are sizing up their preys. There could be hundreds of them...

"We will give you a chance to prepare your defense, heiress of Gremory. After all, a one-sided massacre is not a war that we seek."

With that declaration, Kokabiel and his army left us.

* * *

 **Ame-no-Uzume POV**

"How did it go?" I asked the Angel through a communication ofuda that I gave him.

"Targets exterminated."

I smiled hearing that, "I'm done with my side too. That means all Youkais helping Kokabiel have been eliminated, right?"

"Yes," After that he went silent for a moment. "...it was quite troublesome to eliminate them without my Flames."

"You were the one who told me that we must hide our presences until the time is right."

"Indeed," I had a feeling that he nodded as he answered me, "With this, most of our preparations are complete. Now, we simply need to wait until Amaterasu-Omikami is done."

To that statement, I give an amused chuckle, "I still can't believe that we're even considering this plan."

"Our options are limited," Then he changed the subject, "...did you figure out who sent them?"

I sighed in response.

...before I contacted him, I've interrogated the Youkais, well… I'm not skilled enough to torture someone, so all I did was asking questions while hurting them.

"Unless you know a God or a Goddess named, 'fuck you', then no. We don't have any leads."

"...I see," The Angel didn't react to my joke, "Some of the Youkais called me an invader. Should we assume that they are members of a faction that dislike my, the Abrahamic faction's, influence in Japan?"

That's… possible, yes. While that would raise questions such as why they are working with Kokabiel, that would explain why they are assisting Kokabiel to start another war between Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels.

"I think we should talk about this later," I told him. "What are we going to do about the Fallen Angels? They've entered the city."

Kamael frowned, "...I will try to eliminate as many of them as I can without Kokabiel realizing. You can start your dance while I do so."

"...even though Omikami-sama hasn't replied yet?"

"Yes. Even if she refuses to assist us. Our plan remains unchanged. Unless you wish to back out, Ame-no-Uzume?"

I shook my head, though he couldn't see it, "I'll do it. I don't want to see Issei-kun die either."

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

After Kokabiel left, Gremory-senpai, Himejima-senpai, and Toujou-chan went to Kuoh Academy while I went back to my house. After finding Asia, I brought her and the injured Irina to the Ninja Mansion, which is, for some reason, empty.

"…Asia, I'm leaving Irina with you."

Asia nodded, though her face still displayed her concern. Then she grabbed my hand, "…Ise-san, will you be alright?"

I nodded, "…yeah, don't worry. Kamael is with me."

…it was not a lie. Because, even though he isn't here, I know that he'll appear and help us when the time comes. Him and Uzume-san.

After that, I rushed to the Kuoh Academy, just in time to hear Genshirou's report.

"Rias-senpai. We have covered the school with a large barrier. With this, unless something disastrous happens, there will be no damage outside."

...half-listening to their conversation, I looked around.

There are several people whose names I don't know, but I recognize them as members of the Student Council. Thinking back about it, I also passed by several students I don't recognize while coming here.

...they are Devils, huh? To think that there are so many Devils in Kuoh…

"Hyoudou Issei, it seems that Saji was telling the truth," Approaching me was Shitori Souna, the Student Council President. No, right now, she is Sona Sitri, a Devil. "Are you planning to join this battle? Even though you are a human?"

"Sitri-kaichou," I greeted her, "I don't know how much help I'll be but I'm going to fight. I owe Gremory-senpai and…" I thought about Asia befriending people in our class and how she hanged out with Kiryuu, "...this school is important for my friend."

Sitri-kaichou sighed, "...if Kokabiel actually fought seriously, the whole region will be destroyed, any help you can give to prevent that is welcome."

…what?! ...so he's that powerful…

"...understood," I nodded at her. ...if I let Kokabiel run amok, Asia and my parents might be harmed…

Sitri-kaichou nodded, "Good. Your duty is to assist Rias and her Peerage."

After that exchange, Kaichou spoke with Gremory-senpai.

"Rias, our enemy is a monster whose name is recorded in the Bible, one of those insane beings that survived the previous wars. It's still not too late. We should contact your onii-sama."

"You also didn't call your onee-sama."

"...onee-sama is… I don't think that this city can survive her battle with Kokabiel…" Kaichou had a difficult expression as she spoke, "Sirzechs-sama, on the other hand, is more responsible, So…"

...Gremory-senpai's elder brother… that would be… the 'Lucifer' that Kokabiel spoke about. Sitri-kaichou's elder sister is… the Leviathan that Kokabiel mentioned? He did say that Leviathan would appear if Sitri-kaichou is killed.

"I have already informed Sirzechs-sama," Himejima-senpai answered in Gremory-senpai's stead.

"Akeno!" Gremory-senpai seemed to be angry at Himejima-senpai for a reason I couldn't understand. We are in trouble, what's wrong with asking for assistance? I asked Kamael and Uzume-san for help as well. But I guess, senpai have her reasons.

Himejima-senpai argued with Gremory-senpai with a stern expression, "Rias. I know that you don't want to cause problems for Sirzechs-sama. It happened in your territory. In your base. And it happened after the family problem. But it's a different story if a leader of the Grigori appears. It is a problem that surpasses the level that you can solve. Let's borrow the strength of a Maou."

...a Maou, that's what Xenovia called senpai. The sister of a Maou. So this Sirzechs is a Maou, and a Lucifer. I know that Maou means Demon King but from what I know, Lucifer is supposed to be a Fallen Angel.

...now's not the time to talk about this, though.

Gremory-senpai looked like she was about argue but then she took a deep breath and nodded.

"Thank you for understanding the situation, Buchou. Sona-sama. Sirzechs-sama's reinforcement will be here in one hour."

...one hour… that means… one hour against… that. I turned towards the window and saw black 'clouds' around the academy.

...yeah, those weren't actually clouds. They are Kokabiel's army.

"One hour… I understand. My Peerage and I will keep maintaining the barrier. Rias, you will lead the rest of the Devils to battle. If any of them are injured, we will evacuate them and treat them inside the barrier."

Gremory-senpai nodded, "Hyoudou-kun," She called out to me. I went to her and stood in attention as she examined me, "...are you sure about this? If you want to leave this town, there's still a chance. I'm sure the Fallen Angels won't do anything to you since..."

...since my survival won't make a difference? ...yeah, I know that. ...I also want to run away, or maybe join Asia in hiding but…

...I can't. Because, hiding while senpai and the rest are fighting is… well… it's not cool at all. Even if Gremory-senpai and the rest won this fight without me, I don't think I can forgive myself if I don't fight.

I wanted to laugh, seriously, in the end, I'm just a selfish guy.

I nodded, "...yeah. Don't worry about me, senpai," I gave her a confident grin.

Gremory-senpai smiled, "...I really want you in my Peerage after all. How about it, Hyoudou-kun? If you die in this battle, I'll resurrect you."

I shook my head, "Thanks, but no. Senpai, if you resurrect me, you'll just get yourself killed by Kamael."

Gremory-senpai laughed as she ruffled my hair, "That's mean. You don't think I can win against Kamael?"

I laughed, honestly, I have no idea. Kamael is definitely strong, but I haven't seen Gremory-senpai fighting seriously, since she is the 'ruler' of Kuoh, she must be quite strong. "I don't think Kamael cares about that, senpai. If he can kill you by blowing himself up, that's probably what he'll do."

With that, we laughed as we walked towards the gate of the Academy. Towards the army of Fallen Angels.

"Hyoudou-senpai," Toujou-chan called out to me, causing me to freeze.

...I can make a good guess about what she's going to ask.

"Yes, Toujou-chan?"

"Where is Yuuto-senpai?"

Hearing that question, Gremory-senpai and Himejima-senpai turned towards me.

"That's right. When I asked Koneko, she mentioned about Yuuto being with you," Gremory-senpai asked me with a scary expression.

...Himejima-senpai laughed demurely as she asked me, "Rejecting Buchou's offer of Peerage but spending time with Yuuto-kun… Are you being naughty with him? Perhaps Issei-kun swings… 'that' way?"

Hey! I like girls! And your gentle laugh and your comment doesn't match at all Senpai!

"Well… Kiba is…" Seeing their expressions, I realized that if I lied, they'll figure it out instantly, so I answered truthfully, "He chased after Freed and Valper with Xenovia and Irina. They are Kokabiel's allies."

Senpai seemed to be considering the situation, "...I'm worried about him, but if Kokabiel got him, then he should be taunting us with Kiba when he made his declaration of war. But since he showed us Shidou Irina instead, Kiba should be safe…"

...I don't know about that, but since they might be distracted in the battle if they don't think he's alright, I just nodded.

When we passed the gate, my eyes met with Genshirou's. He gave me a nod which I replied with my own.

...like Gremory-senpai and her Peerage, he's a good guy. If possible, I want to make sure they all are safe in this battle.

...Ddraig, I called out to the Dragon who had been silent. Can I win?

" _...if you really want to win, I can give you the power you need. At the cost of your human body, that is."_

...if he is here, Kamael would have punched me. ...because I'm starting to consider Ddraig's offer,.

[Boost!]

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

What greeted us outside was a surreal scene. Gremory-senpai's Peerage was sent to the park near Kuoh Academy, the place where Sitri-kaichou believes Kokabiel is hiding. Our task is to fight Kokabiel's main force while the rest of the Devils fight against the Fallen Angels surrounding the Academy.

Valper Galilei was standing in the middle of a massive magic circle with Four swords floating around him. I recognize two of them, the broken Excalibur Rapidly and the Excalibur Mimic. Then that means… the other two must be Excaliburs as well…

I did not see Excalibur Destruction, then that means Xenovia should be alright…

"What is he trying to do?" I wondered as the swords continue to glow.

[Boost!]

...I should prepare myself.

"I'm combining the four Excaliburs into one," Valper answered me.

...combine them?! Is that possible? No, thinking about it, if they all are fragments of a single sword, it should be possible for someone to combine them back but…

"Valper, how long will it take for the Excaliburs to merge?" My eyes went to the source of the voice. Kokabiel was sitting on a throne up in the sky. Was it his power that made the throne float?

"It won't even take 5 minutes, Kokabiel."

Kokabiel nodded, pleased by the answer, "Then, I will leave it to you."

His eyes moved from Valper to Gremory-senpai.

"So? Which one will be coming? Is it Sirzechs? Or is it Serafall?"

"In the places of onii-sama and Leviathan-sama, we…"

Gremory-senpai's words were cut off by a sound of wnd and an explosion.

We turned behind us, the barrier surrounding Kuoh Academy was shattered and there was a crater on the place where a gym once stood.

After a moment, the barrier went back up. That must be Sitri-kaichou's doing.

"...how boring. Well, if that's how you want it, then it's fine. Let's see how long can you survive against my legion."

As if on signal, the Fallen Angels descended from the sky towards us.

I took out the Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade (Prototype) and summoned a blade of light, My sword met a spear of light wielded by one of the Fallen Angel.

 _Kill them._

As expected, it came. After all… this is a battle where my opponent outclasses me in every way.

As I locked weapons with a Fallen Angel, I noticed another Fallen Angel approaching me.

[Transfer!]

The spear that clashed with my sword was cut into two instantly and I cut off the Fallen Angel's hand and…

 _Killl._

...kicked him away. There's no way I'm losing against this urge.

[Boost!]

I turned towards the Fallen Angel approaching me who was stunned by the fact that I managed to defeat one of her ally, I swung my blade rapidly, cutting off her arms.

" _...I think they'd prefer you kill them instead,"_ Ddraig commented.

...yeah, probably. I still won't do that though. Since supernatural beings are harder to kill than humans, they should be able to heal if they retreat no-

...what the hell are they doing?!

The two Fallen Angels that I crippled stood back up, both of them glowing with energy.

" _They're going to self-destruct, move!"_ Ddraig shouted at me, I turned around and ran, jumping away as the two Fallen Angels exploded.

What the hell was that?! Why are they…

My thoughts were cut short as I saw several Fallen Angels approaching me at once.

"Why didn't you kill them, Sekiryuutei?" Kokabiel questioned me from his throne.

I scowled at him as I deflected one of the Fallen Angel's spear. "I'm not going to kill anyone."

An expression full of scorn appeared on Kokabiel's face, "...the members of my legion, both new and old, are those who wish to live and die in the battlefield. Don't you dare refuse them their glorious deaths, boy."

"...glorious deaths?" I repeated unable to understand. "What do you mean, glorious deaths? If you die, then those you left behind will be sad! There's nothing 'glorious' about death!"

I spun and slashed a Fallen Angel who was behind me, cutting off his legs, the Fallen Angel had an outraged expression instead of painful one, "What are you doing?! Kill me!"

...I ignored him and fought the other Fallen Angels around me. There's… something strange with the way they fight…

They could have killed me if they threw spears at me from afar, they could have ganged up on me, but… instead they just fight me one on one.

"...if you won't kill me…" The Fallen Angel whose legs I cut spoke, I turned towards him and paled, just like the two Fallens before, he was glowing, "...then die!"

[Boost!]

I kicked him with all my strength and he exploded far away from me.

"...what the hell… is this?"

This is different. This is completely different from the time I fought Raynare and the priests who followed her. This is different from the time I fought against the oni.

...they… these Fallen Angels…

...they aren't even fighting to survive…

* * *

 **Ame-no-Uzume POV**

"...this must be very difficult for Issei-kun," I spoke with a trace of pity in my voice, "After he made such declaration to Omikami-sama, he has to face… this."

...to be honest, it was similar to looking at a mirror. The way Kokabiel's legion fought and how they would choose death than retreat or surrender reminded me of the way people of this land once fought.

For several Kamigami, the way the Fallen Angels chose death can be described as beautiful. For me, it was an ugly sight.

...if they truly wish to die, why are they dragging others into it? Why don't they just kill themselves without bothering others?

Those were the questions she wanted to ask as she and Kamael floated high above Kuoh, watching the battle below them.

The Angel had been eliminating the Fallen Angels who had not joined Kokabiel by the time they reached this place. However, now that the Fallen Angels had gathered, they were unable to interfere anymore.

As Kamael explained it, _"...if either of us interfere, Kokabiel will join the battle. And that might cause even more casualties on our side. In fact, right now Kokabiel is toying with them. He is sending the younger, inexperienced Fallen Angels to attack them, while the survivors of the war, his original legion watched from the side."_

That's why we are waiting. Waiting for the signal from Omikami-sama. But...

...to keep my mind away from the sight of the human struggling below me, I voiced my questions to Kamael. About why Kokabiel and his legion fight.

"...Kokabiel and his legion were prideful. They were proud of their strength," Kamael spoke as he gripped his sword, no doubt wishing that he could help Issei-kun. "...but that pride was their downfall."

I listened to him as I watched Issei-kun struggle. For there was nothing he and I could do to help the boy. We had rushed to this place as soon as we had slain the army of Youkais who assisted Kokabiel. Even though we had succeeded in preventing the Youkais from assisting Kokabiel, we had failed in intercepting most of the Fallen Angels as they had entered the Devils' territory.

If I start my Kagura now, it would only ruin our plans...

...how pathetic, I am a Goddess and this is supposed to be part of my Empress' land, yet we can do nothing as a human boy fought against invaders from another pantheon.

"...in the war, Kokabiel challenged one of the Archangel to a battle. ...to be exact, he challenged me. He wanted to prove that his legion had surpassed the 'warrior' Angels who I led."

I narrowed my eyes. ...that's… foolish. He was in a war, yet he made a challenge out of pride?

"I ignored his challenge," Kamael told me, "At that time, the Angel of Healing, Raphael was recalled from the frontline by Michael as there were many Angels who required his assistance. Because of that, the task of fighting Asmodeus fell to me. I had no time to waste with someone such as Kokabiel, that was what I thought."

...Asmodeus, one of the Maou, was it?

"...Anael, the Archangel of Netzach, was the one who answered the challenge in my place. She and the 320,000 Elohim rushed out from the Gate of Heaven and annihilated Kokabiel's legion in a quick battle. Over a half of Kokabiel's legion died without a single casualty among Anael's army."

My eyes widened, a one-sided battle amongst supernatural beings was not unheard of, but for a battle between armies numbering hundreds of thousands resulted in a one-sided massacre is…

Kamael had a bitter smile as he spoke, "Unbelievable, isn't it? Anael has always been a prodigy in warfare. Yet, none of us expected her to pull such a complete victory. That one battle devastated Kokabiel and his legion. Both in numbers, and in pride."

"...that wasn't the end, right?"

Kamael nodded, "You are correct. The remnants of his legion then fought against Vasco Strada, and a squad of Exorcist he led. ...that human managed to corner and defeat Kokabiel and the Exorcists routed his legion. From 365,000 Fallen Angels who followed him when he fell, only about 1,000 remained. And that number continues to dwindle today."

"...what does that have to do with… this?" I asked as I saw Issei-kun defeating another group of Fallen Angels by using a smoke bomb and crippling them once they were blinded. ...they, once again, chose death instead of retreat.

Issei-kun screamed in frustration as his opponents continue to die, even as he fought against his own urge to kill them. ...I wondered if he would come out of this battle as the same person as before.

The sight of his opponents killing themselves, dying with smiles, must be too much to bear for someone who only knew a peaceful life months ago.

I sighed, honestly, Issei-kun is not suited for this at all. He won't survive long in this world as long as he refuses to kill. At least the Devils are performing as expected, eliminating the Fallen Angels they fight.

"...the reason why Kokabiel is trying to start another war," Kamael pointed towards where the Angel of Stars is sitting as he watched his legion fly to their deaths, "...is because he wants to 'honor' his fallen comrades."

...eh? "...what do you mean by that?"

"...Raguel, the Angel of Vengeance, acted the same way as Kokabiel when he heard from Michael that the war has ended with a truce between Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils," Kamael informed me, "...he was consumed by hatred. And I can understand his feeling. We fought against them for thousands of years and suddenly we were told to stop. We were told to tolerate the beings that we used to loathe. The beings who killed our brothers and sisters."

"It is the same for Kokabiel, he was fighting to avenge his fallen comrades, against Anael and Vasco Strada. Yet, one day, he was told to stop, to throw away his hatred and live in 'peace'. It would be painful. To see those who killed your comrades, yet being unable to do anything. Even now, Anael is still among us as the Chief of Principalities and Vasco Strada is alive, being regarded as a war hero."

"..." I narrowed my eyes, while it was slight, I can understand his feelings. We once fought against the Kunitsukami, and even though we mostly won without casualties, it was not a 'perfect' victory. Some Amatsukami still held grudge against them even now. But… "Do you feel the same way as him?"

Kamael sighed, "...to legion leaders, like Kokabiel and I. Our legion is our family, at the very least, I consider them as my responsibility. However, I am the leader of warrior Angels and because of that, my legion and I were given countless missions in the frontline. Just like Kokabiel, I have lost many brothers and sisters in the war."

"...how many?" I questioned him.

He knew what I meant without any elaboration, "...once, I led an army of 216,000 Angels. Now… only 288 Angels remain."

I grimaced, how would I feel if so many of my brothers and sisters died? Would I be able to forgive those who did it? Would I be able to live in peace, knowing that they are still out there, unpunished?

Seeing my expression, Kamael shook his head, "You shouldn't think about it too much. There is no justifying Kokabiel's attempt to start another war. Losing my brothers and sisters is indeed, difficult. However, I will never attempt to start another war, as there would be no end if I do."

Yes, I can understand that. In a war, no one comes out unscathed. Even if you achieved your vengeance, what's stopping others from starting another war for _their_ vengeance?

"...besides," Kamael's eyes were cold as he spoke, "...I have a feeling that Kokabiel desires something else."

Something else? ...wait, could it be…

"He wants to die?"

The Angel did not answer, there's no need to.

"Have you received any reply from her?" Kamael questioned me.

I nodded, "...Omikami-sama is contacting the Lucifer right now."

"That is good. I just hope that they can survive a bit longer. Since it seems that the situation just got worse."

I looked down, trying to catch anything that would make him say that.

...I found it. The Excaliburs have been combined. Not only that, the massive magic circle on the ground is now active.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

...Kuoh… will be destroyed in twenty minutes?

I repeated Valper's words.

After the Excaliburs merged into one, Valper told us that the magic circle on the ground is now active. If we leave it be, this town will be destroyed in twenty minutes. Valper said that if we could defeat Kokabiel, then the town will be saved as the circle is tied with Kokabiel's magic.

The moment Valper said that, the Fallen Angels left us, they returned to their positions, encircling the Occult Research Club and I.

...damn it! If that magic is really going to activate in twenty minutes, that means any reinforcements from the Devils will be too late!

"Freed!" Kokabiel called out the Exorcist's name.

"What's up, boss?" Freed walked into the park from between the Fallen Angels.

"As an entertainment, you will fight using that Excalibur. Go, and slaughter your enemies!"

Freed grinned madly, "Gladly! With this super Excalibur-chan, I am invincible!" Shouting that, Freed rushed towards us while grabbing the fused Excalibur.

I also ran, planning to ensure he won't reach Gremory-senpai and the rest. If a single fragment of Excalibur can do a massive damage against Devils, who knows what will happen if this fused one hits them?

[Boost!]

Since I've boosted against the Fallen Angels, several times, this should be my maximum. Swinging the Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade (Prototype), I clashed with Freed.

Or so I thought, my sword went through Freed's body as if he didn't exist.

"Got you!" I heard Freed's voice and immediately rolled to the side, barely avoiding Freed's Excalibur.

What was that? Are those the ability of his Excalibur?

Trying to recall what I learned about them from Kamael. I made a guess about a component of this fused Excalibur.

The Excalibur Nightmare that can create illusion.

Before I could try to attack Freed again, he disappeared.

This is… the Excalibur Transparency that can turn its user invisible?!

That's cheating, seriously!

I looked around, trying to find any trace of Freed but…

"Die, shitty human!"

His voice came from behind me, and it was too late for me to eva-

"Issei-kun, duck!"

I followed Kiba's command and threw myself to the ground, at the same time, two blurs struck Freed, sending him flying a few feet away from me.

"That was close, wasn't it, Issei-kun?" Kiba asked me with a smile. He turned towards Gremory-senpai and the rest who were a distance away from us, "...and it seems that you've been protecting Buchou and the rest... Thanks."

"Hyoudou Issei. Leave this to us," Xenovia told me, "Rias Gremory's Knight, if our cooperation is still valid, let us destroy that Excalibur together."

"Is that okay?"

"As long as I can collect the 'fragments' of the Excalibur, then there is no problem. The swords themselves are not important. The 'fragments' of the original Excalibur inside them is what giving them their abilities. Besides, since Freed is the one holding it, I doubt it can be called a Holy Sword anymore. It is nothing more than a weapon used by a heretic. Though, it is a pity to lose my Excalibur like that..."

...her Excalibur? What does she mean? Her Excalibur Destruction is still with her, right?

Hearing Xenovia's words, Valper let out a chuckle, "...as expected of the Church…" He commented.

"Valper Galilei, I am a survivor of your madness, the Holy Sword Project," Kiba spoke with the priest. His voice was calm but his eyes were filled with hatred.

"Hou? The survivor of that project? To think that I would meet you in a far east country like this. This might be what they call fate, is it not?"

The priest laughed as he said those words.

"You see. I like Holy Swords. I admire them so much that I would see them in my dreams. Among those Holy Swords, the one that fascinates me the most is the Legendary Excalibur. However, I found out that I was unable to wield Excalibur and I fell into despair."

...he suddenly started talking about his life.

"I admire those who are chosen by the Holy Swords. I admire them so much that I started an experiment to create Holy Swords wielders," The he smiled at Kiba, it was a kind, yet disgusting, smile, "That project is complete, thanks to you and the other subjects."

"Complete? You disposed us after deeming us as failures!"

...yeah, if the project succeeded, why did they kill Kiba's friends? It makes no sense!

Valper shook his head, "I realized that there is an essential factor needed to wield Holy Swords. That is, the Holy Elements. You and the other test subjects possess that element, but the amount was not enough to wield the Excalibur. Then my research advanced with a question, what if I take out your Holy Elements and gather them?"

"I see... I understand now. The thing that is placed inside the Holy Sword wielders when they received a blessing is…"

Xenovia seemed to have figured out what Valper meant as she gritted her teeth angrily.

...assuming that Valper's research succeeded, that meant he took out the Holy Elements from Kiba and his friends. Then, where did he put them? From Xenovia's words… that means...

"That is correct, wielder of Holy Sword. We take out the Holy Elements from those who have them and crystalize the elements," Valper took out a glowing orb, it seemed to shine with 'holy aura' around it, "Just like this."

"With this, the research on Holy Sword wielders improved significantly. Even so, those fools from the Church banished me for heresy and stole my reports on the research."

Valper smirked as he nodded at Xenovia, "Looking at you and the other girl, I see that someone succeeded the project. Only one being can do that without the technology and knowledge I possess… that Michael. He made me look like a criminal and this is the result? Well, since it is that Angel, I'm sure that he won't kill the donors for the Holy Elements. I suppose that is the only part of him more human than me."

Valper let out a laugh as he said that.

...so it is true… that means people who wield Holy Swords now are those 'created' using the sacrifice of Kiba and his friends...

"…you killed my family to steal the elements needed to wield Holy Swords?"

Kiba asked Valper, his murderous intent could be felt from his voice.

"That's right. This orb is from back then, from your friends. I used three on Freed to allow him to wield the Excalibur, this is the last one."

Freed grinned as he nodded proudly, "Yeah, the rest of us died because their bodies can't synchronize with the Holy Elements! I survived, though! If I think that way, I guess that means I'm special!"

...my eyes narrowed, honestly, rather than the Fallen Angels, I think I'll find it easier to give in to my urge if I fight someone like Valper or Freed.

I really… don't like them.

"...Valper Galilei… How many lives have you sacrificed for your greed and experiments..." Kiba's whole body was trembling with rage. He just learned that his friends died not because they were 'failures', but simply because Valper had stolen what he needed from them.

They were not failures, but they were killed. Because they were not useful anymore.

Valper simply shrugged, "If you are attached to them so much, then I will give this to you. I don't need it anymore. My research has reached the stage where I can mass produce the Holy Elements in right circumstances. Once Kokabiel is done with this town, we would gather the Holy Swords from all around the world. Then we would create an army of Holy Sword wielders and start a war against Michael and the Church. With that, I would show the results of my research to those fools who convicted me."

...so that is why he is working with Kokabiel! They both wanted a war! As he declared his intentions, Valper threw away the orb at Kiba, as if he had lost any interest in it.

Kiba ran towards the orb that fell to the ground and picked it up. An expression filled with sadness and longing appeared on his face as he gazed at the orb in his hands.

"...everyone…"

A tear fell from Kiba's cheek onto the orb and it started to glow. The glow swallowed the park and I saw a sight that would remain in my memories forever.

'Beings' stood around Kiba, all of them glowing slightly with bluish white lights.

...could they be?

"Everyone! I…"

Kiba's reaction erased any doubts from my mind. They are his family, Kiba's friends who died because of the Holy Sword Project.

"…I have always… always thought about it... Was it all right that I was the only one that survived...? There were those who had more dreams than me. There were those who wanted to live more than me. Is it alright that I am the only one who is alive…?"

One of them spoke to Kiba, I could not hear it, but I understand that it must have been words of comfort, as Kiba nodded while hugging the orb of light.

Then, they started to sing. Even I can understand this is a song from the Church, a sacred song…

Kiba sang with his family. Even though he had tears in his eyes, he was smiling happily with his friends, as if they returned to the time when they were children, when they were living together.

[We were no good alone.]

[We didn't have enough elements to wield the holy swords. But.]

[It will be okay if we are together.]

...I can hear their voices. Their strong feelings for Kiba, for their family. Tears flowed out of my eyes as their forms started to glow, floating to the sky.

[You have to accept the holy-sword.]

[It's not scary.]

[Even if God is watching.]

[Our hearts are always…]

[ONE.]

As their spirits ascended, the lights that came from them shone on Kiba as he sang for his friends who found peace.

" _Boy,"_ Ddraig spoke to me, _"I have spent countless years wandering in this world, both as a Dragon and as a Sacred Gear. But this is a sight I have never seen before. To see a Devil achieving_ that _with the blessing of Light. You should carve this sight upon your mind, for this is what you must aspire to…"_

...what is it?

" _...the [Balance Breaker]."_

* * *

 **Ame-no-Uzume POV**

"...was that your doing?" I asked the Angel as I saw the sight.

It was beautiful… To see the bonds between humans this powerful...

"No," The Angel shook his head, a serene smile on his face, "Even among the Heavenly Host, none of us can do that. But I am glad, I am very fortunate to see the salvation of humans occur before my eyes. Even that Devil, Kiba Yuuto, it would seem that he has not lost all of his humanity. I would like to see him among those in Shamayim when the time comes..."

...a Devil in Heaven? No, I suppose that is fine. If a Devil can sing praises to God as his friend ascended, if a Devil can cry for humans… then maybe a Devil ascending to Heaven is not a strange sight.

But then, any trace of smile disappeared from Kamael's face, causing me to return my attention to the battle below.

...around Kiba Yuuto were the Demonic energy and… Holy energy? That is not possible. That went against the rules. As long as the rule-keepers are alive, this kind of thing should not happen.

...wait… as long as… the 'rule-keepers'... are alive?

 _The Voice of God is not in Heaven, instead, he is living amongst mortals in this land._

 _The Chief of Powers acted on behalf of a single human instead of maintaining order and distribution of power._

And...

" _...how strange, shouldn't an Angel say something like 'let's pray to God' or something like that?"_

 _He gave me a smile filled with sadness as he answered, "...I should, shouldn't I?"_

Could it be…

* * *

 **Kiba Yuuto POV**

"What do you desire?"

That was what the crimson-haired girl asked me as she held me who was on the verge of death.

I just answered her with a single word.

 _Help._

My life. My friends. My future. My family. My power. My talent. My…

Everything.

Those were my last thoughts as a human.

"To live as a devil. That was the wish of my master, and also my wish. I thought that, it was fine. But… I couldn't forget my hatred towards the Excaliburs and my friends' vengeance… No, I could have forgotten about it. I…"

...I can forget my hatred. I can forget my vengeance. Because now I have three sisters who cared for me. Because now I have a friend who helped me.

...however, if my deceased friends wanted vengeance, then I must carry on with my hatred.

" _Go! At least you survive!"_

But they weren't wishing for vengeance at all.

...even so, not everything is resolved. Nothing will end, unless I take down this man before me.

"...Valper Galilei. As long as you are alive, there will be many more victims who suffer the same fate as us…"

"Hmph. It has been said for a long time that research always comes with sacrifices. Have you not realized that?"

...yeah, even after I let go my hatred towards the Excaliburs, even if my friends doesn't desire vengeance. I don't think I can let you be.

"Hahaha! Why are you crying? You were singing with joy with the ghost-chan. It's really annoying! It's totally the worst! You know, I hate that song. Just listening to it makes my skin crawl! I don't want to hear it anymore. I'm totally at my limit! I'm going to cut you into pieces and calm myself! With this ultimate Excalibur-chan!"

Freed stood between Valper and I. ...this person too, held the 'spirits' of my friends inside him. ...I cannot allow him to misuse it anymore.

"Yuuto," My Master called out my name, "You are my Knight, the Knight of Rias Gremory. And my Knight will never lose to a mere Excalibur!"

"Yuuto-kun! I believe in you!" Akeno-senpai, my elder sister cheered me on.

"Yuuto-senpai… please do your best!" Yeah, there's no need to say anything else, Koneko-chan. I won't lose in front of my sisters.

"Kiba, you can do it," Issei-kun, my friend, encouraged me, "I'm sure, with your friends' feelings, you won't lose to anyone."

I nodded, to my sisters and friend. I stood before Freed and raised my hands.

My comrades. My friends who have merged with my spirit. Let us overcome it together. The feelings we couldn't say back then! The wishes we couldn't fulfil back then! Right now, right here!

The Demonic and Holy energies are combining before me, forming a single sword…

The Sword Birth inside me is creating a sword, a sword that only I possess. The bonds between my friends and I. The sublimation of both Holy and Demonic energies.

"[Balance Breaker]! [Sword of Betrayer]!" I grabbed the sword as I ran towards Freed.

The Sword of Betrayer clashed with the fused Excalibur. At first, it seemed that they were equal but then Freed's eyes widened when he saw what happened to the aura surrounding the Excalibur.

"That sword is stronger than Excalibur?!"

He asked in a shocked voice as the aura surrounding the fused Excalibur started to dissipate.

"If that is the true Excalibur, then I doubt I can win against it. But that Excalibur… it cannot cut the bonds between me and my comrades!"

With a scowl Freed pushed me away and swung his Excalibur, "Stretch!"

The Excalibur started to twist as if it was alive. The tip of the sword split into two and they moved towards me.

Excalibur Mimic!

As I raised my sword to parry them, the Excalibur's speed suddenly increased. This must be Excalibur Rapidly!

However… even with this kind of speed…

I blocked the attacks with my sword. In the first place, Freed is not suited for Excalibur Rapidly. Even if his speed is enhanced, his killing intent and behavior made it obvious where he would strike next.

"Then, how about this?!" With a face full of excitement, Freed activated another Excalibur's ability.

The sword became invisible using Excalibur Transparency's power.

It is still meaningless as long as you keep showing your killing intent. I deflected the invisible swords.

Freed narrowed his eyes and his attacks grew more fierce.

"Good, keep him like that," Xenovia Quarta spoke as she joined in our battle.

Your Excalibur Destruction was taken by Kokabiel when Shidou Irina was kidnapped, how are you going to fight Freed? I wondered if she would be using the 'mass-produced' swords of light, but...

"Saint Peter. Saint Basil the Great. Saint Denis. Holy-mother Mary. Please hear my voice."

She started to chant something as the space before her distorted. What is she planning to do? I wondered as I blocked the blades that tried to attack us.

She put her hand into the distortion and pulled out a sword that glew with Holy aura. A Holy Sword?!

"In the names of the saints whom reside within this blade, I will release it. Durandal!"

Durandal! The Holy Sword that is almost as famous as Excalibur! It is said that the Durandal would change its ability to suit its owner…

"The Durandal?!"

"You were not the wielder of the Excalibur?!"

Even Valper and Kokabiel could not hide their surprise when they saw the Holy Sword she is wielding.

"I am originally the wielder of Durandal, but they happen to choose me to wield Excalibur Destruction as well, that is all."

That is… amazing… To think that Xenovia Quarta is a wielder of two Holy Swords.

"Absurd! According to my research, we haven't reached the stage where someone can wield Durandal!"

"Of course. Even in the Vatican, they haven't made someone who can wield Durandal artificially."

"Then why?!"

"Unlike those Artificial Holy Sword wielders like Irina, I'm a natural born wielder."

…I see! So, she is one of those who became a Holy Sword wielder without Valper's experiments… The 'special existence' that those priests talked about...

"Durandal is a sword that ravages beyond what people can imagine. It cuts anything it touches. It doesn't even listen to me most of the time. That's why I have to keep it in another dimension, otherwise it would be dangerous. Even I, the holder, has a hard time with it."

She declared as she swung the sword a few times and pointed the tip at Freed.

"Now, Freed Sellzen. Thanks to you, we can have the decisive battle between Excalibur and Durandal. Right now, I'm shaking with enjoyment. Don't die in a single strike okay? At least use the Excalibur to its fullest!"

She rushed towards Freed with the Durandal in her hand. The Durandal glowing even brighter than Freed's Excalibur.

No doubt that the sword is even stronger than my Holy Demonic Sword… as expected from a legendary Holy Sword on par with Excalibur.

The blade of Durandal started to give out more holy-aura than the Excalibur Freed held. That aura! It had more power than my Holy-demonic sword!

"Is that even allowed?! Making a reveal like that suddenly?! You shitty bitch! I don't need that kind of setting!"

Freed shouted and moved his killing intent away from me. I wasn't able to see it with my eyes, but most likely he changed the target of Excalibur to Xenovia Quarta.

With a single side slash from Durandal, the Excalibur shattered. And a shockwave destroyed part of the forest. Such destructive power… it far surpassed the Excalibur Destruction...

"So it's still just a broken Holy Sword, huh? It can't even compete with my Durandal."

She sighed as she had a bored expression on her face.

"Are you serious!? Are you really serious!? The legendary Excalibur-chan is shattered into pieces!? Horrible! This is really horrible! Kaaaa! Was it wrong to use something that was broken from the start? The shallowness of humans. The foolishness of the Church!"

Freed said philosophical words as he stared at the broken Excalibur in shock. I immediately took this chance to attack him, my Holy Demonic Sword moving to stab his heart.

Panicking, Freed tried to block my sword with the Excalibur. The broken sword managed to deflect my stab but…

The Holy Sword shattered into pieces as Valper looked from afar with shock.

Without any hesitation, I swung my sword and slashed Freed, cutting him from his shoulder to the side of his stomach.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

"Ho…Holy-demonic sword…? Impossible… The polar opposite of two things cannot merge…"

Valper said things I did not understand as we closed in on him.

"Valper Galilei, prepare yourself," Kiba raised his sword, ready to cut him down.

Instead of being scared, Valper seemed to have realized something.

"…I see! I understand now! Holy and demonic. It can only happen, if the balance between the two become unbalanced! Then not only the Maou but God also…"

Whatever Valper was about to say was cut short as a spear of light stabbed him.

This is… I raised my head as Kiba confirmed his state, Kokabiel seemed to be smiling madly as he looked at Valper's body with amusement.

"Valper, to think that you managed to reach the _truth_ simply by seeing the Holy Demonic Sword. You are indeed, a remarkable man. However, I have no need for you anymore."

He just killed his ally like that! Kokabiel!

"Truth?" Gremory-senpai beside me repeated Kokabiel's word. "What truth are you talking about?"

Instead of answering, Kokabiel laughed. "It should be about time, shouldn't it? But the VIP guests hasn't arrived, yet. So you guys have to entertain me for a bit."

With that declaration, Kokabiel flew down from his throne. I noted anxiously that the other Fallen Angels still remained in their positions even when their leader had decided to fight.

No, even if the Fallen Angels around Kokabiel remain still, maybe Sitri-kaichou and the other Devils are still fighting against the rest of them right now…

But… if we can beat Kokabiel...

"Kiba, Xenovia. I'll transfer my power to you both."

The two of them nodded, moving closer towards me.

"Oh? Will you give them your power, Sekiryuutei? That might be interesting. The toy Azazel gave you grew stronger the moment you gave it your power. Perhaps it would be interesting to face the Holy Demonic Sword and the Durandal empowered by the Welsh Dragon."

...yeah, I will. And with that power, they'll wipe the smirk off your face.

Ddraig, how much power can be transferred if I Transfer to both of them at once?

" _About 70% to 80%,"_ Ddraig answered me.

...I'll take what I can get.

[Transfer!]

The moment the transfer is done, the battle began.

[Boost!]

Gremory-senpai and Himejima-senpai flew to the sky and unleashed a black sphere of destruction and a lightning strike respectively.

At the same time, Kiba, Toujou-chan, Xenovia, and I rushed towards Kokabiel and attacked him.

Kokabiel grinned.

It happened in an instant.

The sphere filled with Demonic energy that Gremory-senpai unleashed and the thunder that was summoned by Himejima-senpai struck him, but they left no injury.

When Kiba and Xenovia attacked him, he caught their blades and his wings transformed into steel that stabbed the two swordsman. The wings then returned back to feather as Kiba and Xenovia fell.

Then he punched Toujou-chan aside, overpowering her super strength given by the Rook Evil Piece, and at the same time, he kicked me away.

I tried to stand but failed to as my whole body was racked with pain. ...it was just a kick but…

"...damn it…" I saw my allies in various state of damage while Kokabiel remained unharmed.

"The Durandal…" Kokabiel spoke as he gazed at the sword Xenovia used to support herself beside Kiba, "I fought against a man possessing that sword long ago. He, Vasco Strada, managed to defeat me and my legion with that blade. Compared to him, you are nothing, girl."

Xenovia glared and attempted to speak but coughed up blood instead.

"As for the Holy Demonic Sword…" Kokabiel's words were stopped as Kiba rushed towards him, ignoring his bleeding stomach. "...how amusing," Kokabiel again, caught the sword Kiba's swung at him with one hand.

Kiba immediately created another Holy Demonic Sword, which was grabbed by Kokabiel's another hand, but unlike the other, the sword went through Kokabiel's hand as it exploded in flames and reformed.

It was similar with the fire sword! Even then, Kokabiel only laughed and grabbed Kiba's hand, ensuring that he couldn't continue his swing.

"It's not over yet!"

A sword appeared between Kiba's teeth and he swung his head, cutting Kokabiel's cheek with the third Holy Demonic Sword.

Kokabiel seemed surprised by the attack and he froze for a moment.

But then… he began to laugh, throwing Kiba away, he put his hand on his injury and laughed even harder when he saw the blood on his hand.

"How amusing! Even after losing your masters! You Devils and Servant of God can still fight, huh!"

...I did not understand his words at all. But Gremory-senpai and the rest seemed to, as they tensed.

"What do you mean?" Gremory-senpai asked him.

He laughed even harder, as if he just found the best joke in the world, "That's right! I completely forgot! The truth wasn't revealed to you lower beings! Then I will tell you. In the war between the three sides, not only the Yondai-Maou died, but also God."

...I froze. Even though I could not understand most of his words, I know what that last sentence meant.

God died…

"Of course you guys don't know about it. Humans are weak, without God, they cannot control their hearts. Though there are those who lived on without believing in God, there is a reason why many people cling to things like religion! If humans learned that God is dead and started to lose faith in Him, erasing Him from history, what would that mean for us? For those Who Sang For God? For those Who Stand Against God? For those Who Rebel Against God?"

Kokabiel continue to talk about things I do not understand. All I could think about were the clues, the hints that I have heard, that I have seen before this.

" _The Lord cannot absolve your sins anymore, and we, Angels, are not above Heaven's Law. Therefore, there is no method possible to absolve 'heavy' sins."_

Kamael's words as he spoke about sins. ...God can't absolve our sins because... God died…

"The War devastated all sides. Most of the higher-up Angels survived the War, but they lost their God and a lot of them Fell because of that. The Devils lost their Maous and most of the High-class Devils. The Fallen Angels lost a lot of their Cadres and members. We weren't just exhausted or damaged. We were completely ruined! Compared to us in the past, when our names were spread throughout the world, we are nothing!"

" _I would advise you not to doubt my feelings, the Lord's feelings for humanity. We have sacrificed much for you."_

...of course Kamael would be angry at my accusation, his God, his Father died, judging by his words, for humanity.

"We had to live relying on humans! Without God, pure Angels cannot be created, so they had to mate with humans. We, Fallen Angels can't be created, so we had to mate with humans as well. Though…" Kokabiel shot Himejima-senpai a smirk, "...thanks to God and the Maou's death, we can mate without creating Giants. Even the Devils who can procreate normally still took damages, causing the number of pure-blood Devils to lower!"

" _Hyoudou-kun, do you know why the Voice of God is here?"_

Kiba's question… I'm sure he must have suspected something is odd at that time, but he buried that possibility away, because we did not even think it was possible.

"…Lies… it's a lie…"

Away from me, Xenovia muttered words of denial as she couldn't believe the words Kokabiel are saying. ...of course she can't. Even I, who don't believe in their God, was shocked by this revelation just because I listened to Kamael and Asia speaking about him. Just because I know how important God is to them.

...how would Xenovia feel? She who fought and bled for God?

"The truth is, it is impossible for another war to happen unless you deliberately provoke the other sides. Because everyone decided that further bloodshed is meaningless. Michael sealed the Sephiroth and adopted the Choirs! The Devils locked up the Qlippoth and divided their territories into Pillars and Extra Demons! Azazel and Shemyaza banished the remnants of Nephilim from the Grigori!"

Names I do not understand came from Kokabiel's mouth. Kamael spoke about the Sephiroth and Choirs once.

" _The Sephiroth system is no longer used by us today. Because of certain… circumstances. Currently, we are using the Choir system."_

Even that… was because of God's death?

"Those fools threw away their greatest weapons and declared truce with each other! Azazel declared, 'There is no second war', after losing most of his legion in the war! Don't fuck around! How can you lower your gun once you already shot it and declare 'everything is good'?! What about those who died in the war?! What about those who seek vengeance?! Are we supposed to accept that those who killed our brothers and sisters are living happily somewhere?!"

I could not imagine the amount of relief I felt for Asia's absence… if she heard this… if she heard the truth Kokabiel revealed…

"...then… was the 'love' that the Church spoke about… a lie?" Kiba asked him.

That's right, Kiba said that he and his family were forced to believe that God loved them, even though they were experimented on… if God is dead then…

"That's right. Since God is dead, of course there is no such thing as love from God. There won't be any divine protection from him. Michael and Seraphiel are certainly working hard, aren't they? Michael is taking the place of God as the leader of Angels and he is taking care of humans, while Seraphiel is maintaining God's System as the Chief of Seraphim. Thanks to their efforts, the system of 'prayer', 'blessing', and 'exorcism' keep functioning. But if you compare it to the time when God is alive, it is far weaker."

Kokabiel pointed at the swords Kiba held with his hands and grinned.

"Your Holy Demonic Sword and the appearance of your friends' spirits are proofs of that. Because God and Maou died, the balance of power between Holy and Demonic powers broke, allowing them to merge with each other and create 'things' that shouldn't be possible. That was how Valper figured out that God is dead before I killed him."

Then the reason why Holy Demonic Sword can be created and the reason for that sight we saw were... God's death?

Then Kokabiel's grin widened, "Now then, since it seems the guests won't be coming at all, it appears that I must act a bit more… extreme. After all, only 5 minutes left before this town's destruction. Why don't I start with killing the sister of Lucifer and the human Kamael is attached to?"

I immediately rushed towards him, my fist raised. There's no time to think about God's death. I don't know what I will say to Asia when I see her pray in the future, but…

...if I don't beat this guy, I won't see her or anyone else ever again.

"Hm? You wish to die first, Sekiryuutei? Very well, perhaps your screams will attract Kamael here," Kokabiel did not even defend itself as I grew closer towards him.

I swung the blade of light.

Kokabiel simply sighed and caught the blade with one hand.

He had seen the power I had with five times of Boosts, since I just Boosted myself once after transferring, he must be thinking I won't be able to hurt him.

But…

[Boost!]

[Transfer!]

The blade glew brighter and Kokabiel's eyes narrowed as his hand was injured by the shining blade.

[Explosion!]

With the additional energy I stored inside the Boosted Gear, my power grew and I managed to swing the sword, completely cutting off his hand.

...or so I thought.

CRACK!

...a sound of cracking. And it came from… the weapon in my hands.

I stared in shock as the weapon broke apart. Leaving only a single feather in my hand.

"It seems that even Azazel's toy has its limit. You transferred too much power into it in this battle," Then Kokabiel's eyes narrowed, "You tried your best, Sekiryuutei. But this is the end!"

He swung his hand. I shut my eyes in fear.

"Do not touch Issei, Kokabiel."

I opened my eyes and saw a hand grabbing Kokabiel's arm, inches away from my face.

Though I almost died, I only felt relief hearing his voice.

"The Archangel of Gevurah…" Kokabiel's grin was filled with madness, "...have you come to accept our challenge?!"

Instead of answering, Kamael smiled towards me, "...you did good, Issei. Thanks to you and the others, Ame-no-Uzume managed to complete our preparations."

...preparations?

Then I heard Uzume-san's voice resounding throughout the park. Declaring the end of our struggle.

"As decreed by Amaterasu-Omikami-sama, the Empress of the Heavenly Plains, and with the agreement of Sirzechs Lucifer-sama, The Crimson Satan of the Underworld. At this moment, the Devils shall relinquish control over this land to the Amatsukami for a single hour. During this time, Amaterasu-Omikami-sama has given I, Ame-no-Uzume full authority over this land. And By the authority vested in me by the Empress, I command you, the Chief of Power, Kamael, eliminate the invaders, Kokabiel and his legion!"

The smirk Kamael wore was almost predatory as he answered, "Acknowledged." The Flaming Sword appeared in his hand, burning brighter than ever.

"Powers! Come to me!" Kamael declared as he swung the sword towards Kokabiel, causing the Fallen Angel to fly away to avoid the flames.

With Kamael's declaration, the dark clouds above us separated and a legion of Angels wearing crimson armors, the Powers, descended from the sky.

Seeing this, Kokabiel laughed gleefully, "Finally! Finally they are here! Come, my legion! Our Archenemy! Our Nemesis has come!"

Cheers answered Kokabiel's words, the Fallen Angels flew towards their counterparts while laughing happily, spears of light shining brightly in their hands.

I could only watch in awe as Kamael and Kokabiel floated and joined their legions in the battle.

"Ame-no-Uzume!" Kamael shouted as he clashed swords with Kokabiel, "Do it!"

Uzume-san began to dance when she heard Kamael's words.

"As expected, my nemesis! You have another trick up your sleeve, don't you?!" Kokabiel asked Kamael as they separated and clashed once more.

...another trick?

Kamael's smirk remained unchanged as he answered, "Of course. How many have you figured out?"

"First, you must be the reason why my reinforcements are not coming!" Kokabiel shouted at Kamael, creating another spear of light, but Kamael instantly burned it down with his flames.

"Yes. Ame-no-Uzume and I spent quite some time hunting them all down. I am quite curious about how you gained the assistance of Youkais, but that can wait. Anything else?" Kamael asked Kokabiel as they kept attacking each other, battling as they were surrounded by their legions who followed their leaders' leads.

...reinforcements? Youkais? You mean, even though Kokabiel's current army was enough to defeat us all, he still prepared reinforcements?!

Kokabiel answered with a grin, his wings becoming steel as he attempted to stab Kamael with it, "Then you gave that human a feather, which you deliberately charged with your Holy Energy so you can hide your presence! I thought that it was just a mistake when I felt your power around me, but you were actually watching this battle, aren't you?! Flying above the human while concealing your energy!"

Flames appeared around Kamael, even though they were steel, Kokabiel's wings were burned by the flames, causing him to step away from Kamael to avoid more damage.

"Correct. When I heard that you are the one who stole Excaliburs, I had assumed that you would be targeting Rias Gremory. I planned to ambush you during your attack, but I know that you would notice my plan if you sensed my power. So I gave Issei that weapon with my feather in it. Ensuring that you would not notice my presence while I am near that feather."

"However!" Kokabiel spoke as he threw a spear of light towards Kamael. "That alone is not enough! Alone, you cannot win against my army! That is why you waited until that Goddess from this land finished negotiating with Sirzechs! That is also why you allowed Rias Gremory and that human to fight me! Because it would seem suspicious if they are not present."

Kamael responded with a spear made of flame. The two spears exploded between them.

"Correct again. I deliberately waited until Amaterasu-Omikami finished her talk with the Lucifer. Of course, this cannot be accomplished unless Gremory's Peerage, the Exorcists, and Issei distracts you. However, if I asked them to do so, my plans might be revealed. So I deliberately avoided involving myself in this. They performed well, with Gremory feeling responsible enough to face you and Issei deciding to risk his life for this city."

...wait, so… Kamael was… watching the whole battle? He watched but didn't lend a hand at all? I felt angry at him. But… seeing Kokabiel and his legion fighting against Kamael and his, I can understand why Kamael did that. We would not win against Kokabiel if we fought normally.

Kokabiel grinned when he heard Kamael's response.

"For someone who claims to love humans, you sure don't mind using them in your plans," Then the Fallen Angel rushed towards Kamael,

Kamael sighed and shook his head, "You are thinking about this the wrong way, Star of God. It is because I trust Issei's potential, that I can make plans like this," He summoned his Flaming Sword once more and attempted to deflect Kokabiel's attack.

But then, the sword broke apart when it clashed with Kokabiel's weapon. Xenovia let out a gasp of surprise, recognizing it.

The Excalibur Destruction… so Kokabiel had it!

"Your sword is just a normal sword! The dangerous one is your Flames of Gevurah!" Kokabiel declared as his sword continued its path, "But your Flames can't burn 'Holy' objects like this, can you?"

Moments before the sword reached Kamael, he smiled, "An excellent plan. Pity that it won't work."

"Wha-" The Holy Sword, Excalibur Destruction was struck by an arrow, no, not only Excalibur Destruction, but also Kokabiel's army and Kokabiel himself.

A Rain of arrows fell from the sky. Besieged by the arrows, Kokabiel released the Excalibur Destruction and create a barrier made of magic to protect himself

"Did you know?" Kamael questioned Kokabiel as he grabbed the Excalibur Destruction, "Japan is the land of Eight Million Gods. And there are several Gods who can devastate armies among them. How does it feel, Kokabiel? To be struck down by God Slaying Arrows of Takamimusubi-no-Kami?"

I turned my head towards Ame-no-Uzume who had stopped her dance. So the dance was to summon Takamimusubi-sama?!

The Excalibur Destruction was covered by Kamael's flame and he swung it down towards Kokabiel. Kokabiel's barrier grew in an attempt to stop it, but when the flaming Excalibur struck the barrier, it exploded and Kokabiel was sent barrelling down to the ground.

Kokabiel smashed to the ground, forming a crater, Kamael descended not soon after, standing beside the crater where Kokabiel laid.

I ran towards him.

"Stop, Issei. He is not dead yet," Kamael stopped me without turning his head from the crater.

Seriously? Kokabiel is really tough! He just took an Excalibur Destruction and Kamael's Flames after being struck by arrows from Takamimusubi-sama but he's still alive?

Then I heard Kokabiel's laughter, coming from the crater. "...I see…" Kokabiel's voice was raspy, "...so, even after you degraded yourself… Even after Michael sealed the Sephiroth… I still can't beat an Archangel… I can't… avenge them… after all..."

Kamael had a frown when he heard Kokabiel's words. "...Kokabiel, do you still hold a grudge against Anael?"

"...yeah. That brat… she… destroyed us. She… didn't even… see us… as enemies… It's… like… we're just… ants…"

I could see a complicated expression on Kamael's face, "...I apologize. I should have accepted your challenge that day. Perhaps, that way, I would have exterminated you and your legion without all of this."

...instead of saying something nice or comforting, Kamael declared something like that, but…

Kokabiel sounded happy as he answered, "...that's alright… you were late… for hundred years… but… today… I'm sure… my legions are happy… We are dying… against the strongest legion of all… the Seraphim…"

The Archangel of Gevurah closed his eyes, "...I am no longer a Seraph." Then the Powers descended one by one, around the craters, and I just realized that no Fallen Angels remained in the sky. "...we, are no longer Seraphim. Our Flames burned out the moment Our Father died. We are just Powers. Wearing red armor that is but a mockery of the Flames that once surrounded us."

I could not see his face but… Kokabiel was definitely smiling as he spoke, "...to me, to my legion... who wish to be the 'strongest'... you, all of you... are the true Seraphim… our nemesis... no one can take… that from you… the Angels of Gevurah… And now… you have given us… what we wanted the most… a glorious end..."

Kamael sighed as he spoke with voices filled with regret, "We have changed. No members of your legion are killed by us and the arrows. Azazel requested us to take you and your legion back to the Grigori, alive. That is what we will do. My apologies, Kokabiel. Perhaps next time, I can end your suffering."

"...so… our journey… is not over… yet…" Kokabiel chuckled, "...Azazel… I really hate… that pacifist..."

"...yes, I suppose you do. Powers, take them away," Kamael spoke as the Power Angels dispersed, grabbing the unconscious Fallen Angels, and as one of them raised Kokabiel up from the crater, the Devils, Xenovia, and I let out a gasp.

Kokabiel had lost the lower half of his body and one of his arm, his face and body were full of injuries, either burns from Kamael's flames or holes from the arrows… He looked nothing like the powerful being we fought.

"...Issei," Kamael spoke to me as the Powers brought the Fallen Angels up to the sky. "...I apologize for using you," He bowed his head towards me.

I grinned weakly, I still can't erase the slight anger I felt at him using us and leaving us to fight against Kokabiel, though I understand his reasonings, "...that's alright."

Then he continued with words I did not expect.

"...I will be returning to Heaven for a while. Try not to get yourself into a trouble while I'm gone."

Without waiting for my reply, flames covered Kamael's body and he disappeared.

...that was the last thing I remembered from that battle.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

A few days after the 'war' with Kokabiel. Our days returned to normal. I hanged out with Matsuda and Motohama or sometimes, with the Occult Research Club while Asia would spend time with Kiryuu, or me and the Occult Research Club.

Kiba had become more friendly with me. ...sometimes, too friendly, as he would do things like offering me to have a lunch with him and so on.

Thanks to that, a new 'fan club' had been created, they call it HyoudouxKiba fan club. Though some members complained about the name, and formed another club named KibaxHyoudou fan club.

...honestly, even though Kamael isn't around, my days are as chaotic as ever…

Kamael… I haven't received any messages from him, though I asked Metatron-sensei and Uzume-san about it. They said he'll come back in a few days, as there would be an 'event' in Kuoh Academy that he must attend.

...I was confused about how they know about an event in Kuoh Academy, but I chalked it up as Metatron-sensei's ninja thing.

Today, when Asia and I came back from school, Xenovia was waiting in my house. After telling her we would talk in my room, she informed that Gremory-senpai offered to turn her into a Devil.

"...so, Gremory-senpai offered you a position as her Knight?" I asked Xenovia who sat before me and Asia.

Xenovia nodded, "Yes, after the…" Xenovia looked at Asia as if wondering how to say it.

"...she already knew," I informed her. When I returned to Ninja Mansion after the fight with Kokabiel, I found Irina and Asia crying while speaking with Metatron-sensei.

It appeared that when Irina saw Metatron-sensei, she started to ask questions about Heaven, until she finally asked while Metatron-sensei is in Japan instead of Heaven.

...Metatron-sensei revealed the truth about God's death to them. As they cried over God's death, he comforted them and asked Irina to continue supporting Michael and the Angels for the sake of believers.

Asia told me that with teary eyes, Irina asked Metatron-sensei, "Is that an order from God? Voice of God-sama?"

Metatron nodded and Irina cheered up, saying that she would her best to help Michael-sama and the Angels.

After Irina left, Asia spoke with me about the death of God, and I listened to her feelings as she cried for the death of God. ...even now, I can still see sadness in Asia's eyes when she prayed to God.

...uuh… I'm really not good at comforting people…

Anyway, after hearing that Asia already learned about God's death, Xenovia nodded and explained her problem, "I don't know if I should become a Devil or not. I definitely can't go back to the Church after learning about… that."

...wait, that's a strange way to say it. Why can't she go back to the Church after learning about God's death? I mean, Irina went back, just fine. Though Metatron-sensei said that he ordered her not to tell anyone.

Asia and I looked at each other, if Kamael was here, he would definitely tell Xenovia to stay a human, but since I'm not like him, I don't know what to do…

"Ise-san, what about bringing Xenovia-san to see Metatron-sama?"

I grinned, that's a good idea!

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

" **You** should become a **Devil** de gozaru."

...or not. Because after hearing Xenovia's question, Metatron-sensei immediately said that.

Oii! Sensei! Didn't you tell Irina to stick to her faith or something like that?! Also, you do realize that Kamael won't accept this, right?!

Seeing my expression, Metatron-sensei spoke, " **Xenovia Quarta** , do you want to go back to the **Church** , de gozaru ka?"

Xenovia shook her head. ...huh? She doesn't want to? Why not?

Metatron-sensei continued, "...then the **question** is, do you want to be a **Stray Exorcist** or do you want to become a **Devil** , de gozaru ne?

Again Xenovia nodded. ...seriously? The choice is between Stray Exorcist like Freed or a Devil? Simply from the people I've seen, I would agree with Metatron-sensei's choice of telling her to become a Devil. But I have a feeling that Metatron-sensei had another reason for his advice.

"If you become a **Stray Exorcist** , the **Church** will definitely **hunt you down** since you are the wielder of **Durandal** , de gozaru. But, if you become a **Devil** , especially a **Devil** under the sister of the **Lucifer** , even the **Church** won't dare to **attack** you, de gozaru."

Then Metatron-sensei nodded at me, "I'm not like **Kamael** , de gozaru. I won't tell you to choose **death** over living as a **Devil** , de gozaru. If you want to live, then **live** , de gozaru. Living is the **greatest gift** He has given to us, de gozaru yo!"

Hearing Metatron-sensei's words, Xenovia nodded with a thoughtful expression.

Then she turned towards Asia, "...Asia Argento. I apologize for the harsh words I said to you. Since the Lord is dead… Then His Love and Protection must be gone as well…" Xenovia bowed her head, "I'm really sorry! You can hit me as much as you want!"

Asia seemed surprised, but then she shook her head with a smile, "No, that's alright, Xenovia-san. I understand why you said that, besides…" She turned her head towards me and smiled, "...right now, I'm happy!"

...I think I'm blushing, because Xenovia is grinning and Metatron-sensei's eyes glowed with mirth.

After talking with Metatron-sensei for a while, Asia, Xenovia, and I returned to the town. We stood in front of Kuoh Academy.

"...then, Hyoudou Issei, Asia Argento. I will see you later. The next time we meet, I'll be a Devil."

We nodded, as Xenovia walked through the gate, Asia called out to her.

"Xenovia-san! Tomorrow, Kiryuu-san and I will go out to a cafe! Do you want to come with us?!"

Xenovia turned towards us. With a soft smile, she nodded.

...I'm glad for you Asia. I thought as I saw Asia's happy smile as she watched her new friend walks away.

"Issei-kun," I heard a voice calling out my name.

Turning my head, I grinned, "Kiba. How are you?"

"Buchou's punishments were harsh, but as of today, I can start working again."

...a Devil's work… honestly, I don't think I can imagine it at all.

After I voiced that thought to Kiba, he just smiled.

"You should join us then. Koneko-chan and I will teach you."

Honestly, I considered accepting Gremory-senpai's offer when she asked again after Kokabiel was defeated.

The Devils weren't too bad, when we returned to the Academy, I saw a lot of them helping their friends who were harmed in the battle.

Maybe if I became a Devil, I would be stronger. That time, I was too weak to protect my friends… if not for Kamael and Uzume-san, all of us would have died…

Still…

"No," I shook my head, "...I'm fine with the way I am now."

"Yes, I agree."

...I stared at him with a deadpan expression, "...then why are you asking?"

Kiba's smile was genuine as he answered me.

"Because you are my friend."

* * *

 **...I believe Ishibumi-sensei once said in his author's note, that he felt like he was writing a BL when he wrote volume 2. While I don't know about him, but I know that I had to rewrote a lot of scenes or scrap them because I feel they were too... BL-ish.**

 **Oh well... this is the end of Excalibur (and Kokabiel) Arc. Next chapter will be in Kamael POV only, detailing his return to Heaven, introducing other Angels, and their factions.**

 **That aside,** **if you readers have time or are looking for new stories to read, check out Wrathie Winsre's story, A Flower Amongst Devils. It features** **Minako (...or Hamuko if** **you** **prefer) from Persona** **3 Portable** **in DxD world, alig** **ning herself with** **Japanese** **factions** **. Featuring: Ninja Kitsunes, Samurai Tengus, and miko Min** **ako.  
**


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD.**

 **Warning, this story contains religious and mythological elements. The author does not mean any disrespect to the mentioned religious views.**

 **Thanks to Wrathie Winsre for the cover image!  
**

 **I'll be replying to Guests Reviewers here since they can't be PM'd.**

 **dragon rider: True. With how Kiba is, not having BL-ish scene would be stranger...**

* * *

 **...I'm not going to bore you guys with excuses about why I didn't update at all for two years or something like that. But in case some of you are wondering, short answer is because I am studying abroad in Japan and have been busy because of that.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

 **The Other Side: The Heavenly Host**

* * *

 **This chapter has been Beta'd by Wrathie Winsre.**

* * *

 **Kamael POV**

The moment the Powers and I appeared before them, the Angels opened the Gate leading to the First Heaven.

"Kamael, it is good to see you," The one who greeted me was a girl with long platinum blond hair and red eyes.

"...Ariel," I greeted the Chief of Angels as my Powers continued their paths toward the Fourth Heaven. "It is rare to see you here."

Indeed, as the Chief of Angels, the Choir closest to humanity, Ariel was always busy. The amount of tasks she must accomplish had risen greatly compared to the time when the Lord was alive.

Ariel had a tired smile as she answered me, "Yes, Michael summoned all the legion leaders today."

...I narrowed my eyes. ...I see, that explained the request he made yesterday…

"I suppose that means the others have gathered, then?"

Ariel gave me a cheerful smile, "Of course. There is no way Seraphiel will allow us to see Michael without making any plans, right? They are waiting in the Fourth Heaven, let's go!"

With a sigh I nodded.

"Anael and Jophiel can't wait to see you, you know," Ariel told me as she floated, intending to fly to the Fourth Heaven, "On the other hand, the others aren't too pleased with your recent… _activities_."

"...should I brace myself for their sermons?"

Ariel shook her head with a smile, "Actually, I'm pretty sure that they've given up on you. Anyway, we'd better hurry before 'big sis' gets angry."

I nodded, I suppose I am going back then.

To the place where the Lord placed me along with Jophiel. Gan Eden.

* * *

 **Kamael POV**

The moment Ariel and I landed on the land filled with lush greenery, two Angels approached us.

"Kamael, brother, I am glad to see that you have returned," The Angel who spoke first was a female Angel with blue hair and purple eyes. Her face was stern as she continued her words, "What were you thinking? Leaving the duty that the Lord bestowed upon us? I should throw you to Raqi'a for such disrespect."

The blond Angel beside her chuckled as he stood between the other Angel and I. "Calm down, Jophiel. While I am quite sure that you were lonely because your partner went away for a while, I'm sure there's no need to imprison him," His green eyes were filled with amusement as he spoke.

"I am not lonely at all!" Jophiel denied it strongly.

"...not really convincing, crybaby," Raguel… why are you deliberately antagonizing her?

Jophiel glared at the Angel of Vengeance, "...who are you calling a crybaby, Raguel?"

"A certain Chief of Cherubim who cries more than Anael," Raguel answered with a smirk.

"...oh? You really want to die, don't you?"

"Don't. You'll just cry during my funeral."

Ariel had a smile as she watched Raguel and Jophiel, "Now, now, you two. It has been a while since our last meeting, we shouldn't ruin it with fights."

Jophiel seemed like she was about to argue but after a while she nodded, "You are correct, Ariel." Then she turned towards me, "Brother, I expect you to return to your post once the Council has concluded."

"That is not possible. I am going back to the mortal world once I am done," I refused her command. There is no way I am leaving Issei alone, just in the span of two months, he had fought a Fallen Angel, an Oni, and recently, Kokabiel. There is no telling what trouble would encounter him next.

"Wha-" Jophiel was surprised by my answer, "Kamael! Why are you so-"

"Eh? Kamael is here?!" A childish voice shouted as someone flew towards me from the Garden. An Angel with green hair and green eyes latched onto me. "Kamael! It's been a long time! How are you?!"

"I am fine, Anael." ...this 'child' hugging me is one of the reason for the mess with Kokabiel. She seem to be as cheerful as ever, but... "...Anael, do you remember Kokabiel?"

She seemed confused, "...Kokabiel?"

"The Star of God. A Cadre. You fought against him in the war," Raguel was the one who answered her question.

If anything, her puzzlement grew, "...if I beat him, that means he's a loser, right? Why are you asking about a loser, Kamael?"

I saw Jophiel and Raguel grimacing, it appears that they are aware about the mess with Kokabiel.

...still, I must say that Anael had not grown at all.

She is still the same child as she was in the past. The Archangel of Netzach, the representation of God's Fortitude and Victory. Those who cannot 'endure' and claim victory are meaningless to her.

"...forget it," I told Anael and she nodded, still clinging on to me.

Then, something caught my eyes, on Anael's hand was a bracelet with a peculiar design. A lion being circled by a… snake?

"...Anael, what is that bracelet you are wearing?"

Anael tilted her head and seemed to wonder how to answer me. Unexpectedly, Ariel was the one who answered instead, "That's just something I gave to her, don't worry about it, Kamael."

"Something you gave?" I questioned her. Ariel had always been interested in 'symbolic' items and relics, often travelling around the world to seek artifacts left behind by the forgotten 'Gods'. Especially 'Gods' that had been forgotten and abandoned by mortals in the present era.

Perhaps this was one of them?

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm the Lion of God, right? So I thought I should make an accessory based on lions. As for the snake… well, I added that because I've been looking into the Ouroboros recently."

...the Ouroboros… certainly, that is something that Ariel would be interested in.

"That's right!" Anael nodded, "Ariel gave it to me, so it's fine!"

Though it was strange that an Angel would wear something like that, I nodded. It is not as if we had an 'official' symbol, "...I am not telling you to take it off. I am just wondering about the design."

"...would you prefer her wearing a cross?" Jophiel questioned me from the side.

No, that is a symbol, but it is not 'ours', Jophiel.

"That's for Christians," Was Raguel's quick reply. "Michael would be really happy if we wear a cross on our clothes. Seraphiel would be mad though. The Tree of Life would suit us more, I think."

As we talked, we reached the center of Gan Eden. A chair was placed in the middle of a clearing and nine chairs were prepared around it.

Five of the chairs were filled already and we took the four remaining chairs.

"You kids are late! Big sis Seraphiel is worried, you know!" The one who spoke first was a white haired girl who tied her hair in a ponytail. She had tears around her ruby-colored eyes as she continued to speak, "Are you kids leaving me? Is big sis going to be ignored by her cute little brothers and sisters because she is just an old crone?!"

The other Angels looked at each other and sighed in unison. I decided to speak, "My apologies, Lady Seraphiel. It is my fault that they are late. They were waiting for me."

"Huuh? Are you trying to act like a good kid, Kamael?" An Angel with blue hair and sapphire eyes spoke with narrowed eyes, "Even though you just left without telling us anything. Did you know much trouble we had with Michael because of that? How about you stop being selfish and start thinking about your fellow Angels, you bastard?"

I met her gaze with my own, "...I do not recall asking your opinion, Tzadkiel."

"Calm down, both of you…" An Angel with black hair and onyx-colored eyes mediated between us two. "There's no need for a fight between us, right?"

"...I appreciate your concern, Tzaphkiel, however, this is between Tzadkiel and I."

Truly, she should have learned by now that Tzadkiel and I simply do not mesh well with one another. Though I appreciate Tzaphkiel's attempts to keep us civil, it does not mean that I would obey her.

"Leave them alone, sister," A male angel with grey hair and eyes stopped her, "Gevurah and Chesed never gets along. It is a mystery, really. Why God made the Archangels of Sephirot like this."

"Doesn't that mean you and Tzaphkiel won't get along as well, Raziel?" Ariel wondered, "Since you two are Binah and Chokmah. But, I agree with you. Kamael and Tzadkiel never gets along, neither does Michael and Anael."

...I would assume that Raziel and Tzaphkiel were 'special' because their Sephirot complements each other. Wisdom and Understanding can support each other. Unlike Severity and Mercy.

As for Michael and Anael…

"No, I'm pretty sure that is because Anael is a brat," Raguel commented to Ariel's words.

"How mean! Jophiel, I'm not a brat, right?! Raguel is just being mean, right?!" Anael whined as she turned towards the Chief of Cherubim for support.

"Speaking objectively, you are a child, Anael. As for 'brat'... I… cannot deny Raguel's words." Jophiel answered bluntly.

"You guys are mean! Tzaphkiel!" Anael cried to the 'kindest' sister who seemed troubled by how she should respond.

"Alright kids, calm down!" Seraphiel shouted, "Honestly, you kids! We're here for an important meeting! You all get distracted too easily!"

"You're the one who started it!" We shouted at the Chief of Seraphim together.

...yes, that is the sad truth we kept hidden aside from the death of God.

...the fact that Heaven is now run by dysfunctional fools.

* * *

 **Kamael POV**

"Alright, let's start the meeting for real, this time. I'll start," Seraphiel stood up as she spoke. ...no doubt she is attempting to regain her dignity after what occurred before.

"The Chief of Seraphim, Seraphiel. Present," The Guardian of Metatron declared.

The Guardian of Eden stood after her, "Jophiel, the Chief of Cherubim, present."

The Angel of Mysteries followed, "The Chief of Ophanim, Raziel. Present."

"The Chief of Dominions, Tzadkiel, here as usual," The Angel of Mercy gave a salute along with her declaration.

"Tzaphkiel. The Chief of Virtues. Present," The Angel of Understanding stated with a bow.

"The Chief of Powers, Kamael. Present."

"The Chief of Principalities, Anael. Right here!" The Angel of Victory cheered.

The Angel of Vengeance spoke lazily, "The Chief of Archangels. Raguel, still alive."

The Lion of God spoke with a smile, "The Chief of Angels. Ariel. Here."

Seraphiel nodded, as if pleased by our introductions. Then she… "Big sis is really glad that her brothers and sisters are all here!" ...ruined the atmosphere completely.

"...Jophiel, Kamael," Raziel called us as we stood.

"Yes, brother." "Understood."

"Hey wait! What are you guys doing to your big sis? Ah, no, Raziel! Not there~!"

Raziel ignored the cries of our elder sister, "Anael, do you have something you don't use? Like a cloth?"

Anael handed him something and smiled expectantly.

After Raziel stared expressionlessly at her for a moment, he sighed and handed the 'cloth' to Jophiel. "...good girl," He praised as he patted her head, causing her to close her eyes with a big smile.

Jophiel and I stared at the 'cloth' blankly, it was a sock that Anael wore. In the first place, why is she even wearing one?

Regardless… "...we have to make do with what we have," I told Jophiel who nodded with a sigh.

"No way! Even though big sis is fine with playing some games with you kids, making big sis swallow that huge, dirty thi-"

"Brother."

When Jophiel called out to me, I wordlessly held Seraphiel's mouth open as Jophiel muffled the Chief of Seraphim mouth with the sock.

After a moment of silence, other than muffled sounds of protest from Seraphiel, Raziel spoke, "Now then, let us continue the meeting."

"I will begin with my report then," I stood up as they, including Seraphiel who was muffled, turned their attention towards me, "A few days ago, Kokabiel stole three Excaliburs, one from each Christian Church. The-"

"Is that why you asked me about this Kokabiel guy, Kamael?" Anael questioned me with curious eyes.

"Anael," Tzaphkiel called out her name sternly. "Interrupting others while they are talking is not good."

The Angel of Victory immediately went quiet, mumbling a small 'sorry'.

"Yes, Anael. That is why I asked you if you remember Kokabiel. Moving on, the reason why Kokabiel stole the Excaliburs is to start another war between the Abrahamic faction."

...hearing that, the Chiefs had multiple reactions.

Ariel and Anael were surprised by Kokabiel's intention.

Tzadkiel and Jophiel seemed disgusted by it while Raguel seemed excited at the idea of another war.

Tzaphkiel had a horrified expression, a contrast to Raziel's amused smile.

While Seraphiel… she seemed to be surprised and intrigued at the same time, an impressive feat, since she could only express her emotion with her eyes right now.

"Mmmph. Mmmph? Ph?"

...Lady Seraphiel, I cannot understand what you are saying…

"She is asking how he is going to do that," Raziel translated for her.

….as expected from the Angel of Mysteries.

"He attempted to kill Rias Gremory, sister of the current Lucifer."

One of Tzadkiel's eyebrow rose, "That's it? Wow, he's almost as stupid as you, bastard. Did he honestly think that the current Lucifer would break the fragile peace between us just for revenge? Also, why did he steal the Excaliburs then? There's no need for Excaliburs in his plan."

"...it appears that… he thought Michael would declare a war over the Excaliburs."

Tzadkiel laughed, "Yeah! This guy is a real comedian! There's no way that Michael would declare a war over some toys!"

...which is quite true. To humans, the Excalibur might be considered as an important symbol, sometimes even called the 'strongest' Holy Sword. Especially after Christianity influenced the legend surrounding Arthur.

But to us, to Angels not of Christianity, those are irrelevant. We had no use for Excalibur, that sword is not even Heaven's, but Avalon's. We simply made use of the swords after the Lady of the Lake hid herself and Avalon.

Tzaphkiel attempted to make Tzadkiel quiet down as Raguel spoke, "Why? Is it for revenge?"

...leave it to the Angel of Vengeance figured that out.

I nodded, "Partly, yes. The other reason is because he and his legion wanted to die in battle."

From their eyes, I could see that most of them understand what I mean by my words. Even Tzadkiel ceased her laughter and had sorrowful expression on her face.

However, Anael did not understand. Her 'right' over Victory prevented her to understand, "Why? I mean, that's really stupid. Why is he fighting to lose?"

"Some fights are not about winning or losing. Kokabiel had lost many of his brothers and sisters in the war. He must have felt guilty because he thought their deaths are his responsibility," Jophiel attempted to explain to the 'younger' Angel.

Anael frowned, "...but that's stupid! He's stupid! Why is he leading his legion to their defeat?!"

Defeat, she said. Not 'deaths', but defeat. To her, a defeat is an unforgivable sin. Even greater than suicide.

Raziel could see that it is meaningless to continue this argument with her, so he motioned me to continue.

"In this incident, aside from his legion, Kokabiel received assistance from two other sources. One was Valper Galilei, a heretic of Vatican Church, and the other was an army of local creatures, known as Youkai."

"I recognize Valper Galilei," Raguel spoke up, "Some of the souls in Heaven condemned that man. I attempted to judge Valper Galilei in the past, however, I failed to find him. If he is assisting the Fallen Angels, it appears that they have hidden him."

"What was his heresy?" Jophiel seemed puzzled, "Why would he assist Kokabiel?"

"The Holy Sword Project," Recognition flashed in Seraphiel, Raziel, and Raguel's eyes. As expected, Raguel probably heard of the project from the souls in Heaven while Seraphiel and Raziel used their own sources of information.

"Mmph, ph! Mmph!" Seraphiel attempted to say.

"...Raziel?" Tzadkiel turned towards the Chief of Ophanim.

He sighed and translated it, "She said that we can use this against Michael."

"How is Michael related to this… 'Holy Sword Project'?" Tzaphkiel seemed puzzled. "It is not like him to involve himself in a human's affair."

...to be honest, I am quite curious as well. Before Valper Galilei stated it, I am not aware of Michael's involvement in the Holy Sword Project.

All I know is that, suddenly, several Churches managed to produce artificial Holy Sword wielders. It appears that Michael's side hid several informations from us, and most likely, from the other legion leaders as well.

"Originally, this project was proposed by Valper Galilei to 'create' Holy Sword wielders. To do so, he gathered young orphans with Sword-related Sacred Gears and young people who exhibited talent in swordsmanship. Then, the priests raised the 'subjects' to believe in Father and experimented on them."

"...experiments? To those who believe in Father?" Tzadkiel sounded disgusted as she stood up, "And the Church agreed to this?! Which Church did this, Raziel?! I will crush them for their insolence!"

"Mmph."

"The Roman Catholic Church."

Before Tzadkiel could storm off, I grabbed her arms and restrained her.

"What are you doing, bastard! You don't like them too, right?! Why are you stopping me?!" My counterpart raged, truly, I question why the Lord created her as the Archangel of Mercy when she is like this.

...well, if one compares her to me, it is true that she is more merciful...

"...calm down, Tzadkiel. They were unaware about what Valper Galilei did. The moment they learned of it, they banished him and the priests who worked with him," I informed her.

To be honest, I would like to burn down those I deem heretics as well. However, the moment I do so, most likely, the illusion of 'peace' we maintain in Heaven would break.

While she was still tense, it did not seem as if she would fly and drown the Vatican Church Headquarters in the Sea of Chesed, so I released her.

Though she had a dissatisfied expression, she returned to her seat and motioned Raziel to continue.

"As Kamael stated, they found out about his experiment and banished him. However, Michael took notice about the project, to be exact, about the 'conclusion' that Valper Galilei reached."

Seraphiel then stated with grave expression, still with a sock in her mouth, "Mmph. Mmmph hmph."

...thank you for those words filled with wisdom, elder sister. However, might we remind you that we cannot understand you?

"The reason why some people can wield Holy Swords, while others cannot, is because they possess a certain quantity of 'Holy Elements' inside their body," Raziel spoke, or maybe, he translated Seraphiel's words. "Valper Galilei created a method to 'take' Holy Elements from the subjects, and place them into other subjects. When the Holy Elements in a subject surpassed certain amounts, they are able to wield Holy Swords."

"Wait," Ariel spoke up, "This 'Holy Elements'... it is the same energy we use, right? The same one that flows in our body?"

At Raziel's nod, she continued, "...if they succeeded in performing this experiment, doesn't that mean they can create their own Metatron and Sandalphon? Just like what God did to Enoch and Elijah?"

In an instant, the atmosphere grew tense.

"Mmph," Seeing Seraphiel's serious expression, Raziel removed the sock from her mouth, "Don't worry Ariel. That is not possible."

"Why?" Raguel seemed to be interested in this conversation. I suppose he would, after all, he was one of Lord Enoch's guide when Lord Enoch was a human.

"A Human body cannot hold too much Holy Elements inside it," Raziel took over the explanation, "If a human body is forced to contain Holy Elements over its limits, then it will implode."

"In fact," Seraphiel continued, "The reason why the Lord transformed Enoch and Elijah in the first place is because they would die if they are not transformed. After all, even when they were mortals, they possess capabilities to perform tasks that the God's System Ohr, Ein Sof, would deem as Miracles."

Indeed, that is why I consider Lord Enoch and Elijah as those who stand on pinnacle of humanity's potential. They are powerful enough to stand among supernatural beings and have assisted us against our enemies in the past.

"That is also the reason why Metatron and Sandalphon are not like most of us," Seraphiel explained further, "They are 'special', even among the Angels. During their peak, their powers easily surpassed Michael and I. Though, right now they are about equal to Michael."

"I understand," Ariel nodded after hearing their explanations. "Well… as long as humans cannot create 'us', I don't really have any problem with that."

...yes, it would be troublesome if humans possess the capability to transform other humans into Angels. That privilege is reserved only for those that the Lord considers worthy.

"Big sis will take over the explanation now!" Seraphiel opened her hand and the space around her distorted for a moment. When the distortion disappeared, an orb of light, not unlike the one Valper showed to Issei and his companions appeared on her hand, "This is the condensed Holy Element."

"Where did you get this orb from, elder sister?" Tzaphkiel questioned her after examining it.

Seraphiel shrugged, "Don't know. I asked Ohr Ein Sof provides."

...her ability is as insane as ever.

As the one who maintains Ohr Ein Sof, the God's System, Seraphiel possess the 'right' to manipulate or affect the System in a limited scale. While she does not know how to gather or condense the Holy Element, Ohr Ein Sof does, and she merely 'requested' it from the System.

"...putting Seraphiel showing off her ability aside," Raziel grabbed the orb and examined it, "Michael and the Churches are now mass producing this object."

"Which Churches?" Tzadkiel asked once more, her voice cold.

"All of them. Even 'ours'. Michael allowed them to," Then Raziel shrugged, "I don't really mind. Unlike Valper Galilei's experiment, Michael's method does not harm anyone and losing Holy Elements won't cause death. Besides, this is the reason why the number of Exorcists increased a lot compared to the past."

"...with a Holy Sword, anyone can become an Exorcist, eh?" I wondered out loud. My mind supplied me with the image of one such creature, Freed Sellzen. "...I do not like that."

Jophiel nodded, agreeing with me, "To become Instruments of the Lord, one must be trained and evaluated, spiritually, mentally, and physically. Allowing those without qualifications to become Exorcists is a bad decision."

Seraphiel gave us a smile, "Why don't you two voice your concerns to Michael in the Council then?"

Jophiel and I understood immediately. She wanted us to question Michael's authority in front of the Council. It is a sight that has, sadly, become common recently.

God's death divided the Heavenly Host. There are those who believe Lord Metatron should lead and those who believe Michael should lead.

Even among those who support Lord Metatron or Michael, there are those who believe we should remain hostile with Devils and Fallen Angels and those who believe we should coexist with them.

It is pathetic. We lost our Father and we started squabbling over who should lead us while He is gone.

The reasoning we, who support Lord Metatron gave was, _"He is the One Closest to Father. When Lord Metatron appeared before us, Father told us to bow. Father decreed him to be above us, that is why he is the one who should lead us."_

The reasoning they, who support Michael gave was, _"Lord Michael is recognized by all believers, unlike Lord Metatron. Even if we were never told to bow to him, Lord Michael has always been the one who lead us. Why should we change that?"_

As the situation between us grew tense, Lord Metatron made a declaration.

" _Michael should lead the Angels."_

Just a single sentence from His Voice and the hostility ceased, at least, for a while. Michael attempted to refuse, but Lord Metatron insisted that he should be the one who lead them, as his supporters had a point.

Michael is venerated by all believers, unlike Lord Metatron.

Even then, there are those who would attempt to replace Michael with Lord Metatron, regardless of Lord Metatron's refusals. Though, we managed to keep the conflict minimal, mostly.

...Seraphiel, no, all the Chiefs of Choirs gathered here are among those who support Lord Metatron.

"...let us move on then," Raziel continued the topic as if Seraphiel did not say anything. "I think we're done with discussing the Holy Sword Project and Michael's involvement in it. Next is the 'Youkai', why are they assisting Kokabiel? Is this an attempt to undermine Devils' influence on that land? If this is an action taken against the 'invaders', then perhaps their next target is us, to be exact, our base in Japan, Shimabara."

"Any opinion, Kamael?" Seraphiel questioned me. "You fought them, didn't you?"

I nodded and considered how to report the behavior of the Youkai. If I carelessly state something wrong, Seraphiel and the others can take it as a sign of hostility from the whole Japanese supernatural faction.

"...in this incident, I was assisted by Ame-no-Uzume, a Godd-" When Raziel's eyes sharpened at my choice of words, I corrected myself, "a being from that land. During my interactions with her and the Youkais, I learned two things."

"One, Amaterasu-Omikami, the leader of the largest faction on that land, has no wish to antagonize us. Two, there are other factions from that land, and one of them formed an alliance with Kokabiel to start a war between us, Devils, and Fallen Angels."

"Hey," Raguel called out to me, "Isn't it possible that this Amaterasu is lying? Maybe she is the one working with Kokabiel."

I have considered that possibility before, and I have discarded it, "Amaterasu-Omikami is not our enemy."

"How can you be so sure?" Ariel questioned me, the emotion in her voice was not doubt, but interest.

"Lord Metatron vouched for her."

That was enough as Seraphiel nodded in understanding, "So you met Enoch? Did you ask him to come back?"

"Yes," With a sigh I added, "He refused to return. Informing me that I should support Michael if he needs me."

Seraphiel let out a groan when she heard that, "I guess you won't be helping us in the Council then?"

I nodded, "My apologies, Lady Seraphiel. I cannot refuse Lord Metatron's request."

"That troublesome child… Why can't he understand that he should be our leader instead of Michael…" Seraphiel mumbled.

"If she is not the one behind the Youkais assisting Kokabiel," Raziel spoke over Seraphiel's mutterings, "Do you have any idea who it might be?"

I shook my head. Kokabiel refused to speak when Azazel and I questioned him. Azazel continued to 'interrogate' him even after I left this morning.

...truly, when Azazel revealed his method of torture, I questioned his sanity.

What else but insanity could explain why Azazel made Kokabiel watch a clone of himself dance to the song 'Barbie Girl' while wearing nothing but a tutu?

I was moments away from destroying that abomination and slay Kokabiel out of pity.

Unaware of my inner conflict, Raziel accepted my answer.

"Finally," Raziel's voice sounded calm, but his eyes were stern, "How did you defeat Kokabiel's legion? You called down the Powers, didn't you? I doubt the Devils allowed you to do that in their territory. I hope that you did not allow your fascination with humans to blind you from the consequences of your actions."

"...Amaterasu-Omikami negotiated with Sirzechs Lucifer. The result of that negotiation was, 'For one hour, the Devils shall return the rights over that land to the Amatsukami.' Once the declaration has been made, Ame-no-Uzume, as a representative of the Amatsukami, issued a request for me to eliminate Kokabiel and his legion."

"Acceptable," Raziel nodded approvingly, "Using that method, the Devils can't fault you for calling down the Powers to that land. Any complaints they make will be directed to Amaterasu instead, and since she received an agreement from the Lucifer, they will only be blaming their leader."

"Kamael," Ariel spoke up, "What did you do to Kokabiel and his legion's bodies? I don't see your Powers carrying anything when they returned. Did you exterminate them?"

I shook my head, "I returned them to the Grigori."

"Idiot!" Tzadkiel shouted with a voice full of anger, "Why did you do that?! That's our chance to eliminate those traitors!"

"I agree with Tzadkiel," Jophiel's voice was filled with disapproval, "That is an excellent chance to reduce the number of the Fallen Angels. You should have taken it."

"Why?" Raguel's question was short.

"Because Azazel requested me to."

...though recalling the 'torture' he subjected Kokabiel to, I wonder if that was a cruel decision.

Hearing that Seraphiel let out a groan of frustration, "...seriously, can't you act like a normal Angel for once? Working with pagans, defeating Fallen Angels without killing them, and then returning them to their organization? Such a troublesome little brother… honestly…"

"...Lord Metatron agreed to his request," I defended my choice. ...now, if I can forget the image of Kokabiel's clone, all would be alright.

Tzaphkiel laughed nervously as she watched the other Chiefs showing their displeasure over my actions.

Unlike them, Ariel gave me a curious look, "Kamael, if Seraphiel asks you to go and kill Kokabiel right now, what will you do?"

"I will kill him," I answered without any hesitation. Both out of duty, and out of pity.

...to be honest, when I received Azazel's request, I couldn't care less whether Kokabiel is alive or not. But since a friend requested me, the least I could do is consult Lord Metatron about it. Since Lord Metatron agreed to Azazel's request, I accepted it.

"Then it's fine," Ariel spoke to my brothers and sisters, "You just have to give him a specific order next time, Seraphiel."

Sighing, Seraphiel answered her sister, "...I know… But how can I do that when he left us without telling us anything?"

...they started to talk about me as if I am not here.

Ariel shrugged, "You have your information network and Ohr Ein Sof. You should be able to figure something out. Maybe a tool to track Kamael down, or something similar to that. You know how Kamael is. Despite his eccentrics, he is still one of the strongest among us."

...that is a high praise, coming from a talented Angel such as you, Ariel. Since you are a 'young' Angel with powers comparable to the rest of us, 'elder' Angels. Even Anael is older than you… chronologically, that is.

"It is true that such tool would be useful," Jophiel nodded, "If I know where Kamael is, I can drag him back to Gan Eden."

I decided not to mention that she would need to 'leave' the Garden of Eden to drag me back, which would mean, disobeying Father's orders to her. The last time I pointed that out to her, a few hundred years ago, she cried while telling me that she wouldn't have to disobey 'Daddy' if I act more obedient.

...she later made me, under the pain of death, swear silence on that matter. ...though, since Tzadkiel happened to see us at that time, Jophiel became known as a crybaby not even a day later...

"If you are going to do something like that," Tzadkiel cut into the conversation, with a mischievous smile, "Might as well make it wide-scale then. No need to just track Kamael. Let's track all of our brothers and sisters. It might help us in the future."

From the way Tzadkiel speak, I assumed she would be using it to gather blackmail materials instead of using it responsibly.

Raguel nodded, "It can be used against the traitors as well. Since Father's demise, the number of Fallen Angels have risen, if we can figure out where the traitors are using this device. We can exterminate them all."

...hearing that, most of the Angels started to have second thought on creating that tool. Giving Raguel something that would 'assist' his revenge is not a good thing at all.

"Why not make it a contest?! The winner will be the one who can beat the most Fallen Angels!" Anael suggested, unaware that we do not wish to 'encourage' Raguel's obsession with revenge. "No, let's make the whole thing a contest! The one who helps big sis Seraphiel the most is the winner!"

...no, by this point, aren't you all losing your real objective? This meeting is supposed to be about the Council, correct?

"I'm sure Seraphiel and I can figure something out," Raziel spoke up, "And Tzaphkiel's ability might help. We might be able to create something that can track all Angels, or at least, those among our legions."

"Umm…" While she seemed conflicted, Tzaphkiel nodded, "...if it'll help our brothers and sisters, I don't mind."

…sister, were you not paying attention? At least one brother and one sister of ours is planning to use this device for their own goals. And another one is planning to use it to imprison me here.

As Matsuda would say, "Yandere characters are fine, but only if they don't catch us."

...though Motohama would answer, "As long as it is an imouto-character, a yandere is fine too!"

Issei, on the other hand, "As long as she is cute, it doesn't matter! Big breasted onee-san is the best, though!"

Is Jophiel a little sister character? She is not one of the Archangels of Sephirot, so I am quite sure that she is younger than me. Sure that the way she tried to act mature but is actually childish is quite similar to the 'little sisters' that I saw in shows Issei and the others watched. But…

No, why am I even thinking about this?

...I believe I am starting to be infected by Issei and his friends.

Well, it did ease my boredom a bit, so I suppose this is fine.

"That's agreed then. Once we are done with the Council, we'll start working on it," Then Ariel turned towards me, "Kamael, do you want to help us?"

...I would rather go back to Kuoh and protect Issei but…

From the stares directed to me by my brothers and sisters, I had a feeling that if I refuse, they won't allow me to leave at all. ...Jophiel's gaze is especially dangerous.

"...fine."

Then, we began discussing our plans for the Council.

"...how about asking Michael how he could have allowed the Excaliburs to be stolen?"

"That might work, but it'll lead to the usual question, 'why don't we just store it up here?' I don't think we want to repeat that discussion, Tzadkiel."

"...Raguel is right. if that question comes up again, the discussion will go back to the usual 'we are overworked already' excuse."

"...what about working together with Azrael and Israfel?"

"No way, Tzaphkiel! out of question. They are Michael's supporters. While they'll agree with us about objecting to Michael's actions concerning Excaliburs, they can turn against us easily."

"Kamael, you get along with Phanuel, right? Can't you ask for her help?"

"That is not possible, Jophiel. Phanuel will never approve anything that might harm Uriel."

"...that brother complex Angel is almost as bad as you."

...I resent that.

"Raziel, what about asking Ia'anah?"

Seraphiel, sister. Have you gone mad?

Raziel seemed to agree with my unvoiced opinion as he answered her, "Seraphiel… are you seriously asking me that? Can't we just leave the Angels of Apocalypse alone? They have been neutral for hundred years, there's no reason to stir up a hornet's nest. Abaddon joined the Devils because he got tired of our arguments, do you want more of them to Fall?"

"...yes, forget it. Having those creatures keep their neutrality is our best move regarding those illogical beings."

"See? Ariel agrees with me."

"What about using 'unknown enemy' then? Make it seem like there is an organization trying to attack us and that the Youkais working with Kokabiel is part of them."

"...actually, speaking about an organization, I remember hearing something about a group calling themselves, Khaos Brigade."

"Khaos Brigade? Sounds like a presumptuous name. Let's mention them in the Council, maybe we can use them."

"Did you see 'new' Fallen Angels among Kokabiel's legion, Kamael? Maybe we can go with 'God's death affected us all' and 'more Angels fell and you didn't do anything' angle."

"I did see several younger Angels among…"

...ah, I just remembered.

"...Kokabiel revealed Father's death."

…

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT SOONER?!"

With a scream of frustration from Seraphiel, we revised the plans we had made.

* * *

 **Kamael POV**

After creating new plans, we moved to Zebul, the Sixth Heaven, where Michael gathered the legion leaders.

As we flew to the temple where the Heavenly Host would gather, I saw brothers and sisters that I normally would not see.

I passed by Phanuel and Uriel who nodded towards me. I nodded back in return. It is unfortunate that Nuriel was slain in the war, it has been quite some time since we, the four Archangels possessing dominion over Flames, gathered.

Zerakiel and Azrael are talking with one another. From what I could hear, the Angel of Judgment and the Angel of Death are talking about the souls that suddenly 'disappeared' and 'reappeared' in the Third Heaven. ...it appears that they were talking about the souls of those who died during the Holy Sword Project.

I saw Israfel and Gabriel talking with one another.

"Gabriel, do you know why Michael summoned us here?"

"Well~ It's a secret." Gabriel answered him with a smile, "Don't worry~ It's something that Father would be happy about~"

...something that would make the Lord happy? I pondered the question for a moment, but finally decided not to bother. ...we have different ideas about what would make Father happy, after all.

...even Mastema, the only remaining Accuser, who would usually place himself in isolation, is present, conversing with Ia'anah, better known as Apsinthos or Wormwood.

"...Mastema, Michael called you as well? Damn it, can't he just let me sleep? ...maybe I should Curse the mortal world, that way, he would think twice before annoying me..."

Wormwood seemed agitated… I truly hope that he is not planning to start Judgment Day anytime soon.

...it seems Michael truly summoned the remaining Heavenly Host. Most likely, this gathering is not being held simply to discuss Kokabiel's actions.

"Brothers and sisters," I heard Michael's voice as he flew towards the gathered Angels. "I am glad to see you here, come, let us begin the Council."

…

We took our positions in the circular chamber, surrounding Father's Chariot, the Merkavah.

Unlike in the past, where we would fill the Chamber with our numbers, only 21 of the Heavenly Host survived through the wars.

 _Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel_

 _Phanuel, Zerakiel, and Mastema._

 _Azrael and Israfel._

 _Ia'anah._

 _Seraphiel, Jophiel, and Raziel._

 _Tzadkiel, Tzaphkiel, and I._

 _Anael, Raguel, and Ariel._

 _Lord Metatron and Sandalphon._

With Lord Metatron and Sandalphon's absences, there were 19 of us. Barely enough to keep Heaven and the Ohr Ein Sof running.

"My brothers and sisters," Michael began, "As you might have already been made aware, one of our Fallen brother, Kokabiel, had attempted to start another war between us, the Devils, and the Fallen Angels."

"I heard that Kokabiel stole three Holy Swords to accomplish that," Israfel seemed puzzled when he stated that, "Does he actually believe that we will start a war, simply because he stole Holy Swords?"

"No," Raziel spoke up, "According to Kamael, he attempted to kill the current Lucifer's sister, as well. Alone, these two incidents won't do anything. However, it would cause the relationship between three sides to become worse, which might lead to a war."

...no, even if Kokabiel succeeded in killing Rias Gremory, it would not lead to war. The fact that we managed to avoid another all-out war since Father's death proves that.

"...Raziel is attempting to make this sound worse than it actually is," I muttered and Jophiel nodded in agreement.

"We know another war won't start that easily, Raziel. Don't make a terrible joke like that," Raphael shook his head as he softly refuted Raziel's words.

Raziel shrugged, "I am merely offering a possibility."

"A possibility that won't happen doesn't matter at all. Now, can we move on already? Let's get this meeting over with," Ia'anah dismissed Raziel's words with an annoyed expression on his face.

...Ia'anah, the wild card in this Council. No one among us held his loyalty.

"...very well," Raziel conceded. No, he was made to concede. None of us wanted to risk making him and, by extension, the Angels of Revelation, our enemies.

"...Kamael managed to stop Kokabiel from killing the sister of the current Lucifer," Michael continued the report.

...I chose to ignore Anael's enthusiastic clapping, as did the rest of the Heavenly Host.

"By summoning the Powers! To a Devil's territory!" Zerakiel shouted with a displeased expression, "The Devils could ask us for reparations because of his reckless actions!"

"Don't worry about that," Uriel spoke up, "You might have forgotten it since you're so old, but I haven't. Kamael is the leader of Powers for a reason, gramps."

"Why you-"

"Mess with my brother, and you mess with me, Zerakiel," Phanuel's glare met Zerakiel's outraged expression.

"Calm down, both of you~" Gabriel attempted to mediate, "We shouldn't fight with each other, okay?"

"Sister Gabriel is correct," Tzaphkiel supported her fellow 'peacemaking' Angel, "You two shouldn't argue. And Uriel, you shouldn't insult Zerakiel like that."

"Still, Zerakiel raised a valid point," Azrael nodded towards me, "The Devils might use this chance to weaken us. How will you defend yourself, Kamael?"

"...I made a temporary alliance with the faction originally controlling that land. The leader of that faction negotiated with the Lucifer and the Lucifer agreed to return that land for one hour. I used that hour to summon the Powers and stop Kokabiel."

"I know that I defended you and all but… that's so complicated," Uriel commented.

I answered my fellow 'Flame' Angel with a shrug, "I do not have access to many options at that time."

"Either way," Seraphiel spoke up, "Kamael's actions won't cause any problem for us."

Michael nodded, "Yes, and with that, the incident caused by Kokabiel came to a close."

Before some of us could voice any comments, Michael continued.

"However, I summoned the Council, not to speak of Kokabiel. But of the future."

...future? I exchanged looks of confusion with Ariel and Jophiel. ...though, I noted that this means the plans we made in Gan Eden were probably useless.

"Yesterday, Azazel came to me with a proposition. A proposal for an alliance."

Raguel had an angry expression when he heard it, "...with the traitors?"

"I suppose Azazel was the first one to ask for a truce in the last war," Raziel mused as he attempted to find an explanation about the alliance.

"...still, is it a good idea to ally ourselves with them? I mean… even putting aside their betrayals, they are…" Tzadkiel had a displeased expression as her words trailed off.

"...mad?" Raphael ended her words, "I agree. This might be a good chance, though."

"What do you mean, Raphael?" One of Azrael's eyebrow rose.

"Our brothers and sisters who fell because of despair over Father's death. This can be a good chance to speak with them once more."

"...true," Tzaphkiel nodded, "The little brothers and sisters who fell because of Father's deaths are not 'bad'. Even the Grigori have changed after they lost their comrades. I believe we can work together with them."

"Yes," Raziel had a strange smile as he said it, a smile that would not look out of place on a mad scientist, "I believe working with Fallen Angels would be good for us. From what I heard, they have made… interesting inventions, as of late…"

"I cannot believe that you are considering this!" Jophiel seemed quite displeased by their discussion, "The Watchers are our enemies! Our Father commanded us to punish them!"

"Kamael, handle your sister," The Chief of Seraphim did not even spare us a glance as she said such order.

Do not casually order me to do a troublesome task, Lady Seraphiel!

"...Jophiel," As she faced me with a scowl, I continued, "Why do you consider the the Grigori as our enemies?"

"Because they broke one of the Lord's laws and fell," Jophiel answered me automatically.

"Which one?"

"...eh?"

"Which law did they break?"

"They mated with humans..." Jophiel seemed unsure, wondering what I am trying to do by asking her that.

...checkmate. The moment they heard Jophiel's answer, several members of the Heavenly Host chuckled, knowing what I was about to do.

"Are you trying to drive us to extinction, Jophiel?" I questioned her.

She seemed appalled hearing that, "Of course not, brother!"

"Then, how are we supposed to reproduce?"

"Eh?" Jophiel froze, "...umm… we… can..."

"Jophiel. As I am sure that you are aware, Angels cannot reproduce with other Angels. Father made us that way. Aside from being created by Father, the only way to continue our line is through mating with humans. If you punish those who mate with humans, how are we supposed to create new Angels without Father?"

"...ah… but… Father…"

"In the first place," I added, "Father created that rule because us mating with humans in the past would result in Nephilim. However, that is no longer the case. Barakiel's daughter and the Children of Miracles are not Nephilim. As a further proof, some of us managed to mate with humans without Falling should they fulfill certain conditions, such as going through purification and lack of lust."

She opened her mouth but I continued, cutting her off.

"In fact, working with the Grigori might allow us to find a method to reproduce easily. I ask you, sister, which would Father wish for us to choose? To abide by his words and die? Leaving His believers without our protection and guidance? Or does he wish us to survive? There-"

I stopped as I saw her glassy eyes.

...I suppose Jophiel still cries easily.

"But Daddy said…" With tears in her eyes, Jophiel attempted to argue, "Daddy said that... they are bad! So we… we… shouldn't…"

I looked around me and saw most of the Angels looking away, not wanting to be dragged into this. Fortunately, one of them seemed worried about Jophiel.

"Gabriel, dear sister! Please take care of her!" I pleaded the Strength of God. I would rather not be forced to babysit her again. The last time I did that, I have to stay in Gan Eden for years.

Gabriel nodded and flew towards us. When she reached us, Gabriel hugged Jophiel as she cried, "Okay~ Let it all out~"

…

With that awkward atmosphere, and over Jophiel's cries, the Council continued.

...honestly, last time it was Phanuel's extreme declarations of love for Uriel.

The time before that, it was Lord Metatron and Sandalphon's arguments about Ninja versus Knights.

...and even before that, Israfel and Gabriel spent the whole Council playing music, adding dramatic sounds whenever one of us says anything.

...how did we become this… crazy?

Oh right, Father and most of us died. So we tried to ease the tension by acting like fools. As time went on… we lost our inhibitions and turned into this instead...

"...furthermore," Michael continued, returning back to the subject, "The alliance will not only be between us and our Fallen brothers and sisters…"

...not only with the Fallen?

"...is he really going to…" Seraphiel's voice was marred with disbelief.

"With _them_?"

Voices filled the chamber.

"Yes," Michael nodded. Aware that most of us have guessed what he would say, "I speak of an Alliance with the Devils as well. A formation of an alliance between the Three Factions!"

…

…

At first, there was silence. And then…

"You are crazy!" With Tzadkiel's shout of anger, it began. "They are the ones who murdered Father!"

"Why should we ally ourselves with those heretics?!" Azrael's outraged voice joined the Angel of Vengeance.

"I refuse to be part of this farce! Should you continue this insanity, my legion and I will leave Shamayim at once!" Zerakiel's declaration was the last straw.

"Is this a joke, Michael?" Ariel questioned without a trace of amusement in her eyes.

"I assure you, brothers and sisters. This is not a joke," Michael stated with determined eyes. "I believe that this is an excellent chance to end this pointless struggle between us, Fallen Angels, and Devils."

...Lord Metatron, you knew this would happen. That's why you asked me to support him. Such a troublesome task you gave me, Enoch...

Still… allying with Fallen Angels and Devils? The alternative would be to reject this alliance and risk making both of them our enemy.

After considering my options for a moment, I shrugged.

It doesn't really matter to me. An alliance with Fallen Angels and Devils would decrease my workload as the Chief of Powers, leaving me with more free time to spend in human world.

"Then I accept," Ariel's declaration was met with surprised looks, even from Michael.

"What?" She asked us, "It is logical. Think about it for a second. Let's say that we refuse this Alliance. What would it mean for us? We would be alone while Devils and Fallen Angels are working together. If that happens, it will only be a matter of time before we get annihilated by them."

"...well, she is correct…" Israfel nodded. "We are already struggling with this three-way battle. If our enemies made an alliance, we won't be able to survive."

"...yeah. I don't want to lose more little brothers and sisters…" Seraphiel had a sad expression as she voiced her agreement.

"I've stated my opinion, and I have not changed it. Working with them would be good for us. They have made tremendous progress since the end of the war," Raziel spoke, showing his support for the decision.

Seeing three of the Chiefs approving the Alliance, the rest of us also nodded. Though Raguel had look full of dissatisfaction while he did so.

"I cannot accept this!" Zerakiel remained firm, "Father commanded us to crush the pagans! To slay the infidels! To judge Devils! To punish the traitors!"

"Indeed," Azrael too, voiced his displeasure, "They were the ones who murdered Him. As He was weakened after sacrificing Himself to save us, to save them. You cannot expect us to forgive them after what they have done."

"...then," Mastema spoke for the first time in this Council, "I wish you luck fighting against Devils and Fallen Angels without Metatron and Sandalphon's might. Without Michael and Seraphiel's leaderships. Without Kamael and Uriel's skills. Without Raziel and Raphael's tactics. Without Gabriel and Anael's strengths. Without our legions and assistances..."

"...I guarantee that they will destroy you in a single day," Ariel ended Mastema's words, with the Accuser nodding in approval.

"Even so!" Zerakiel attempted to speak but the Angel of Judgment froze when he saw a palm in front of his face.

"...if you are so eager to die…" Ia'anah, the Wormwood, spoke softly with cold expression, "...why don't I Curse you? Perhaps you would like to die by Conquest? How about in War? Or would you rather die because of Famine? No, maybe you would prefer to face Death himself?"

"Zerakiel!" Michael called out to the Angel, "Brother. Both the Devils and the Fallen Angels have changed. They are no longer the same beings as the ones we fought. If our eyes are blinded by hatred, we will not be able to see what truly matters. The real threats we should be fighting."

The real threats?

"What do you mean by threats?" It was Phanuel who asked that question.

"When he attempted to kill the sister of Lucifer, Kokabiel revealed Father's death to the Devils and humans opposing him."

To their credit, most of the Heavenly Host managed to keep their composure. Though some of them did not hide their displeasure, knowing that this would change many things, not only between Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels, but also with humans.

"...should we prepare for the fallout then?" Israfel questioned with a sigh.

Michael nodded, "Yes, at the very least, we have to inform those 'in the know' among various Churches."

I ignored their discussion, deeming it irrelevant to me. As a Power, my task is to deal with mythical creatures and threats, not public relations.

...which reminds me, Azazel's adopted son, Vali Lucifer, is the White Dragon, thus, he will appear before Issei sooner or later. With Vali Lucifer's personality and power… perhaps I should give Issei an insurance in case I could not reach him.

What would be good? Ideally, it would be a Dragon Slayer weapon, since it can reduce the difference in power between Issei and the White Dragon. Fortunately, the only part of Issei that is considered as a 'Dragon' is the Boosted Gear, he should be fine as long as he uses the weapon with his other hand.

Next… a Holy weapon, it should also be effective since Vali Lucifer is a half-Devil.

I still have the Excalibur Destruction with me. Yet, I doubt it will be useful. Issei does not have enough Light in him to use it. Since I do not need it, I wonder what should I do with it?

I'll think about that later. For now, what weapon would be good for Issei?

...ah, there is a weapon around here that fits that description, isn't there? A certain Dragon Slaying Sword used by a Saint...

...I nodded. I should talk with Michael about Ascalon once this is over.

"-Father's death, I have no doubt that other pantheons will soon acquire this information and begin to move. That is why we need to stand united, even with the Devils and Fallen Angels."

...just like in the past, huh? ...just like that time with Babel…

"In addition, there is one more threat, a threat closer to us than the other pantheons."

"Another threat?" Seraphiel repeated, "Is there anything more dire than other pantheons possibly attempting to attack us?"

"There is," Michael nodded without any hesitation, "...the Khaos Brigade."

...the Khaos Brigade? That group Raziel mentioned?

"...what is this... Khaos Brigade?" Israfel questioned.

Even the Angels on Michael's side seemed confused. It appears that the only one who knew about this organization is Michael.

"They are one of the reason I agreed to this alliance," Michael's expression was grave as he informed us that, "I have heard mentions of them for a while, but nothing concrete. However, yesterday Azazel showed me proofs of the organization's existence."

"And?" Raziel was the one who voiced the question. Not hiding his curiosity. It was clear that we were all interested in this organization that Michael considers as a 'threat'.

"It appears that Khaos Brigade is a terrorist organization, gathering dangerous members from many factions, including ours. Several Sacred Gear wielders capable of using Balance Breakers are among them, there are even sightings of [Longinus] wielders in their organization."

...Longinus wielders? In a terrorist organization? Some of us muttered amongst ourselves, questioning how we could have missed that information.

"...which [Longinus]?" Seraphiel's expression showed no trace of humor. In fact, she seemed anxious hearing that information. She, as the one who maintains Ohr Ein Sof, knew better than anyone else the capability of Sacred Gears.

"At the very least, they have the [Annihilation Maker] and [Dimension Lost] with them."

Seraphiel rubbed her forehead, "...out of all [Longinus], they have those two? The world-class Sacred Gears?"

"...truly?" I could not believe it. Two Longinus capable of destroying worlds are possessed by members of Khaos Brigade… No, what amazed me more is the fact that they managed to keep themselves hidden until now. "Who is it? Who is their leader?"

"...the Ouroboros Dragon."

"...you're joking, right?" Uriel asked Michael with wide eyes, "That thing hasn't been doing anything for years! Why would it start moving now?!"

Michael shook his head, indicating that he does not know the answer. "...what I know is one thing. Among their members are those who hold grudges against us. Inevitably, they will come, and I would prefer we have allies who can help us when that time comes."

"That's a good reason," Ariel spoke up as she joined the conversation, "I've never seen this Ouroboros Dragon, I am quite curious about it and this Khaos Brigade."

...she did mention that she had an interest in the Ouroboros. Hearing that she would see the Dragon who embody the Infinite itself would delight her. Even though it is an enemy...

"An excellent timing then," Michael nodded, "I was about to ask Kamael to guard me while Azazel, Sirzechs, and I discuss the details of the Alliance. Would you like to come with us, Ariel?"

...I see. Most likely, the 'discussion' that Azazel, Michael, and the Lucifer would have is nothing more than a 'show' to bait the Khaos Brigade. If they are truly hostile to us, they would not miss a chance like that.

"Sure," With a nod, Ariel grabbed my hand, "Let's work hard together, Kamael!"

"I have not agreed to this," I attempted to protest.

"The conference will be held in Kuoh," Michael added. Believing that I would not refuse when I hear that.

...he was not mistaken. It would also explain why he asked me to guard him.

"...fine."

Michael nodded in approval while Ariel gave me a satisfied smile.

"Then, Zerakiel, do you still have any complaints?" Raphael questioned Zerakiel who remained quiet during the discussion about the Khaos Brigade.

Zerakiel shook his head, "While I may not like it. I understand the threat of the Ouroboros Dragon. For now, I shall tolerate this alliance."

...tolerate, he says…

I suppose I should send some Powers to observe him. I might need to hunt him down soon.

"Good, then this meeting is over, right?" Ia'anah questioned, "If that's it, then I'm going back to sleep."

Without waiting for answer, Wormwood disappeared, leaving no trace of his presence in the Council.

"The Council is dismissed," Michael declared and the Heavenly Host started to leave their positions.

...I suppose I should take this time to confront Michael about the Holy Swo-

"Brother, you are coming back with me to Gan Eden."

...my sister who had stopped crying caught my robe and dragged me back to the Fourth Heaven. From the corner of my eyes, I realized that Seraphiel and the rest are gathering as well.

...they are really planning to make that tracking device, aren't they?

How troublesome…

* * *

 **Seven Heavens**

Now that the chapter/side story is over. I'll be explaining about the hierarchy and structure of Heaven in Deuteronomy.

First, let's start with the 'Seven Heavens', DxD volume 18 has them, but… it contradicts Talmud's (To be exact, the Third Heaven and Fourth Heaven seem to be switched). Since DxD uses Zebel for Sixth Heaven, it seems that the names matched Talmud's names for the Heavens.

For now, I am using DxD's structures of Heaven in this story, so that readers who read the LN or other DxD information won't be confused (Also because if I go with Talmud's, that means Underworld/Hell is in Heaven. To be exact, it is in the Third Heaven).

Well, that aside, here are the list of Heavens and what is in there:

First Heaven (Vilon): The 'main gate' and the place where most Angels gather/live. Later on, Brave Saints will be here too.

Second Heaven (Raqi'a): It has prisons, usually for Fallen Angels.

Third Heaven (Ma'on): ...in Talmud, Ma'on is the Fourth Heaven. Anyway, this is dead people's 'home'. Heavenly Jerusalem, the Temple of God and Altar of God are located here.

Fourth Heaven (Shehaqim): In Talmud, the Third Heaven. The Garden of Eden (and Tree of Knowledge inside it) is located here, along with the Tree of Life.

Fifth Heaven (Makhon): The place where Angels would gather and watch over human world. The Grigori used to live here, along with their research facilities.

Sixth Heaven (Zebul): The residence and the place where leaders of Heavenly Hosts (the 21 Angels mentioned by Kamael above) gathers.

Seventh Heaven (Araboth): God's Throne and God's System is located here.

* * *

 **Angel Systems**

Before God's death, the Angels used the Sephiroth System, dividing them into Ten Sephiroth led by Archangel of Sephiroth (Metatron, Raziel, Tzaphkiel, Tzadkiel, Kamael, Raphael, Anael, Michael, Gabriel, and Sandalphon). This is based on the Kabbalah Tree of Life.

After God's death and the end of the War, they switched to the Choirs System and divide the Angels into Nine Choir instead, led by Chiefs of Choirs (Seraphiel, Jophiel, Raziel, Tzadkiel, Tzaphkiel, Kamael, Anael, Raguel, and Ariel). However, aside from them, there are 'special' Angels with position equalling or above the Chiefs (Such as Michael and the rest of 'leaders' in the Council).

* * *

 **Angel Factions**

As for the Angels themselves, they are divided into three 'main' factions:

Michael faction: Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Azrael, Israfel, Phanuel, and Zerakiel.

Metatron faction: Seraphiel, Jophiel, Raziel, Tzadkiel, Tzaphkiel, Kamael, Anael, Raguel, and Ariel.

Neutral faction: Michael, Metatron, Sandalphon, Mastema, and Ia'anah.

I'll be putting a brief description for each of the 'leaders' now.

 **Metatron** : The Scribe, former Voice of God, former Archangel of Keter, **and also a Ninja de gozaru!**

 **Sandalphon** : The Angel of Prayer, former Archangel of Malkuth. Formerly a human named Elijah. Not much is known about him yet.

 **Michael** : The Archangel, former Archangel of Hod. The main leader of Angels.

 **Gabriel** : The Messenger, former Archangel of Yesod, also one of the Trumpeters. Her main task is to take care of relations with other mythologies.

 **Raphael** : The Healer, former Archangel of Tiferet. The medic of Heaven.

 **Uriel** : The Flame of God. His duty is to eliminate creatures who threaten believers. While Kamael is away (*cough*abandoning his job*cough*), the Powers follow Uriel or Phanuel's commands.

 **Azrael** : The Angel of Death. Hates being mistaken as Azazel. Currently being overworked by the increasing amount of humans. He might need a new Book of Life and Death soon.

 **Israfel** : One of the Trumpeters. Wondering if he still needs to prepare himself for the Judgment Day and is currently jobless. Because of that he sometimes work as Azrael's assistant.

 **Phanuel** : The Face of God. Uriel's elder sister and assistant. A bro-con.

 **Zerakiel** : The God's Command. Despite his tough personality, he is actually an Angel of Healing. Though he has a rather… unique job, being the Angel of Children Whose Parents Are Sinners (...considering some beliefs that all humans are sinners, that's a lot of children).

 **Mastema** : The Angel of Persecution. He tempts humans and test their faith. An 'Accuser' similar to Lucifer.

 **Seraphiel** : The Chief of Seraphim, former Guardian of Metatron. Now that Enoch doesn't need her protection and God is dead, her job changed into maintaining God's System.

 **Jophiel** : The Chief of Cherubim and Guardian of Eden. Still doing her task to guard Eden (and attempting to convince Kamael to do the same).

 **Raziel** : The Chief of Ophanim, former Archangel of Chokmah. His main task is to act as Metatron's assistant in Metatron's duty as the Scribe. As Metatron is MIA, he has been spending a lot of time around the Grigori's former labs recently.

 **Tzadkiel** : The Chief of Dominions, former Archangel of Chesed. Her job is to grant forgiveness and mercy to humans.

 **Tzaphkiel** : The Chief of Virtues, former Archangel of Binah. Her duty is to guide humans to reach understanding with one another, also work as a counselor in Heaven for her fellow Angels.

 **Kamael** : The Chief of Powers, former Archangel of Gevurah. His duty is (supposed to be) maintaining power distribution and eliminating threats and enemies of Heaven. He abandoned his job and is staying in Kuoh instead.

 **Anael** : The Chief of Principalities, former Archangel of Netzach. Her job is… actually, most Angels prefer to leave her jobless, since she will treat any jobs as a 'competition' and do whatever it takes to win it.

 **Raguel** : The Chief of Archangels and Angel of Vengeance. His job is to avenge, be it someone or something. If a human soul have a grudge on someone or something, he will make sure to 'avenge' that soul.

 **Ariel** : The Chief of Angels and Lion of God. Her job is to help humans and guide them spiritually.

 **Apsinthos** : The Wormwood, the Ia'anah, or the Curse. The representative of the Angels of Revelation. Currently has no job because without God, the events in Revelation cannot happen.


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD.**

 **Warning, this story contains religious and mythological elements. The author does not mean any disrespect to the mentioned religious views.**

 **Thanks to Wrathie Winsre for the cover image!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

 **A Promise with The Sun  
**

* * *

 **This chapter has been Beta'd by Wrathie Winsre.**

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

"Well? Sekiryuutei, why don't you give up? You should've realized that you can't win against us."

I glared defiantly at the madman before me while letting my brain continue to work full force. I need a way to escape.

" **Give up** , de gozaru! **This** is for your own **good** , deshi!"

The traitorous sensei of mine declared as he appeared suddenly behind me.

"No way!" I shouted as the Boosted Gear manifested itself on my arm.

Let's go, Ddraig!

" _No. I agree with them. If they are telling the truth, this experiment might open a whole new possibilities for you."_

Et tu, Ddraig?!

They might claim it's for my own good, but I don't trust that creepy mad scientist!

...even though Ddraig won't help me, I have no choice but to fight if I want to escape! I charged towards Metatron.

Of course, it was useless, the Angel easily avoided my punch and, in an instant, threw me to the ground.

Without saying a single word, he caught me in a sleeper hold. Why the hell is a ninja doing a sleeper hold?!

" **Now** , Azazel!" Metatron shouted at one of the madmen. The man with black angel wings nodded as he floated towards me.

"Got him! Thanks Enoch!" The Governor of Fallen Angel stabbed my arm with a syringe. Injecting mysterious liquids into my body.

...my body feels… heavy...

"...when... Kamael finds out... you'll pay for this..."

The Fallen Angel had a wicked smile as he answered me. ...well, he IS wicked…

"Nah, that guy is astoundingly gullible, you know. As long as I can convince him that this is for your survival. He won't do anything at all. And since I have Enoch supporting me…"

...I cursed Kamael's respect for Metatron-sensei as I lost consciousness. I recalled the arrival of that mad scientist.

* * *

 ** _Hyoudou Issei POV_**

 ** _Thirty Minutes Earlier_**

 _Today, just like usual, I went to Metatron-sensei's 'dojo' after school. ...well, it's just a run-down old building though._

 _But when I get there, some guy I don't know was there. Drinking and talking with Meta-sensei._

… _they seemed to get along, at that time, I thought the guy was another Angel._

" _Oh? Is that the kid you told me about, Enoch?"_

" _ **Yes**_ _, that is my deshi,_ _ **Hyou-dou Issee**_ _."_

 _...please at least say my name without that strange foreigner's accent…_

 _Hm? Wait a second, that guy called Metatron-sensei, Enoch, didn't he? ...I think I heard that name recently…_

"You heard it when you first heard about Kokabiel," _Ddraig reminded me,_ "The Book of Enoch, a part of Bible containing information about Fallen Angels, especially the Grigori. Well… most of that God's followers don't use it though."

 _Ah, I see…_

 _...wait a sec, if this guy called Metatron-sensei, Enoch then…_

"It is said that the human, Enoch was taken by the Biblical God and became Metatron. Or so the story goes..."

 _...that Ninja Angel was a human?! Seriously?! Was he already crazy before he became an Angel? Or did turning into an Angel made him crazy?!_

" _Seems like he is talking with the Welsh Dragon," The man commented. I blinked as I realized that he was suddenly in front of me._

" _Who are you?" I asked him as I took a step back. Even though I was distracted since I was talking with Ddraig, I'm sure the guy didn't start moving until he spoke… this guy is fast!_

 _He grinned as wings appeared behind his back._

… _a very familiar set of wings… the black wings that Raynare and Kokabiel possess…_

"...eh, it was only a matter of time before he would appear before you, kid."

" _My name is Azazel, the boss of the Grigori. Nice to meet you, Sekiryuutei."_

 _...shit._

* * *

" _Well… since Kamael brought Kokabiel to me and the ones you fought were strays, I don't have any grudges with you, Sekiryuutei."_

 _Azazel-san said as he and Meta-sensei kept on drinking._

 _I let out a sigh of relief. At least I won't be dragged into something troubleso-_

" _Well, that's a lie though," He added with a chuckle._

 _Demon! Eh, no wait, he's a Fallen Angel._

" _I'm a bit interested in you. Since you, a human, managed to survive a battle against Kokabiel. Not many can boast that, I assure you. Before you, only two humans managed that."_

 _Two humans?_

" _Enoch," Azazel-san pointed at Metatron-sensei who waved at me, "And a crazy strong human named Vasco Strada."_

 _...never heard of him. But…_

" _Is he really that strong?" Seeing the two's expressions, I continued, "I mean, I know that Kokabiel is strong. He beat Gremory-sensei's group and Xenovia and Irina easily."_

 _He was definitely fearsome, in that fight, it was clear that I was just a bug compared to him. But..._

 _...how to say this?_

" _...compared to Kamael and you two, he seems weak…"_

 _At first, both the Angel and Fallen Angel had expressions of disbelief but then Azazel-san roared with laughter while Metatron-sensei chuckled._

" _I like this kid! He's quite observant!" Azazel-san declared as he ruffled my hair, "You are right, Sekiryuutei. Compared to us, he is weak. But that's the thing here, your standards of strength are twisted."_

 _...twisted?_

" _That Gremory girl, the Exorcists, and you were defeated by Kokabiel's army until Kamael came and summoned his legion, correct? Had you guys fought outside Kuoh, then Kamael won't even need his legion. Even alone, he would've destroyed Kokabiel's army. And there's the problem…"_

 _Metatron-sensei nodded and continued Kokabiel's words, "...you compared him to Kamael and us, de gozaru. Kamael is one of the_ _ **Ten Archangels of Sephiroth**_ _, one of the_ _ **eldest Angels**_ _while Azazel was considered to be the_ _ **third strongest**_ _Fallen Angel de gozaru."_

" _...I resent that 'third' part. But I have to acknowledge that the Morning Star and the Serpent are stronger than me..." Azazel-san commented._

" _Anyway, Enoch, on the other hand, is a special case. Even back when he was a human, he led the Angels to subdue us, the Grigori. You shouldn't set him as a standard of strength. It is extremely rare for a human without any trace of Divine parentage to be as strong as Enoch."_

" _The likes of_ _ **Rias Gremory**_ _and her_ _ **Peerage**_ _, and also the two_ _ **Exorcists**_ _, are_ _ **powerful**_ _compared to you, de gozaru. Since you are just a_ _ **normal human**_ _not long ago, de gozaru ne. Even compared to their_ _ **peers**_ _, they are part of those who can be considered_ _ **'talented'**_ _among the current_ _ **generation**_ _, de gozaru yo."_

" _Kokabiel, on the other hand, is experienced and compared to the likes of the Gremory girl or you, there is a massive gap of strength and skill. However, since you compared him to us, well…" Azazel-san shrugged. "...you can say that comparing Kokabiel to us is similar to comparing yourself to the Gremory girl."_

 _...now that I think about it… am I actually surrounded by amazing people?_

"You just realized that now?" _Ddraig asked me incredulously._

 _Still… doesn't that mean any 'normal' training I do will be useless? Gremory-senpai's group are Devils, while Xenovia and Irina had those 'energy' or whatever put inside them to make them powerful, right? But even they can't win against Kokabiel._

 _The usual training with Metatron-sensei and Kamael helped me grow stronger but… it's too slow, isn't it?_

 _...for a human like me, who doesn't have any special abilities aside from the Boosted Gear, it's impossible to catch up with those 'talented' people or the 'experienced' ones, right? I wondered to myself._

 _...how can I protect Asia if I'm that weak?_

 _I voiced my thoughts to Metatron-sensei and Azazel-san._

 **...which, in hindsight, was a huge mistake. In my defense, I didn't know Azazel-san at that time.**

 _With a huge smile that screamed 'SUSPICIOUS!' Azazel-san nodded with eyes that twinkled madly._

" _That's right! That's exactly right, Sekiryuutei! As long as you keep on training normally, you won't become strong! From Kamael's tale, I believe you knew about the Balance Breaker?"_

 _...yeah, I doubt I could forget what I saw at that time. The souls and all…_

 _I nodded._

" _Would you like to try to reach it?" His smile grew_

 **I should have recognized the danger signs, but...**

 _I nodded again._

" _Excellent! But here's the thing…" Azazel-san let out a dramatic sigh, "Your body is too weak! the [Boosted Gear] is a Dragon-type [Sacred Gear]. Most of them, unfortunately, are unsuitable for 'normal' humans in this era. No matter how much you train normally, you won't be able to reach Balance Breaker, much less, sustain it."_

… _so… what's the point of asking me about that?_

" _That's where I come in! The Grigori Research Institute's Head Scientist, Azazel to the rescue! With just a tiny bit of reconfiguration and body modification, we can rebuild you! Stronger, Better! And much more Awesome!" By this point, Azazel-san's eyes were glowing with… 'something'._

 _...wait a second… I took a step back, but the madman kept on approaching me. "Stay away from me!" I tried to run._

" _Don't you want to be popular with girls?" Azazel-san's words stopped me. "My body modification can change everything, you know? Do you want an ikemen face like that Gremory Knight? Or perhaps a cold stern face like Kamael? Perhaps an old dandy man like me? I'll have you know that I was known as a man who created thousands harems throughout my life."_

 _I turned towards Metatron-sensei, begging him to deny his words._

" _ **Well**_ _... Azazel is quite_ _ **famous**_ _for_ _ **Falling**_ _because of his_ _ **Lust**_ _, de gozaru._ _ **At the very least**_ _, I think he was not_ _ **exaggerating**_ _, de gozaru."_

 _...I considered those words… should I take this chance to be popular?_

"You're an idiot," _Ddraig commented._

 _Azazel-san and Metatron-sensei seemed amused by my reaction. ...but then my eyes caught something in Azazel-san's hands._

 _A drill and a scalpel. They shone brightly even in this run-down building, as if menacingly stating to me, 'We are here to do some_ _ **serious**_ _remodelling!'_

 _...WHY THE FUCK DO YOU NEED A DRILL?!_

 _And then, I ran away._

* * *

 **Azazel POV**

Hmm… this is fascinating…

Contrary to my words to the Sekiryuutei, I had no plan to modify his body. I am not stupid enough to anger Kamael, after all.

I probably can win against him as long as he doesn't access the Sephiroth System but... the last guy who managed to anger Kamael was the Serpent, Samael. Which resulted in him being hunted down throughout many realms and trapped in Cocytus for eternity.

No, the reason why I am interested in him, or to be exact, his Sacred Gear, is because of something that Kamael told me.

He told me that he gave Hyoudou Issei his feather, contained inside of my Artificial Sacred Gear. While it is rare for an Angel to give their feather for a human, since this is Kamael, so something like this is 'inevitable'. Especially considering the fate of the last human Kamael took interest in.

What I am interested is in the effects the Boosted Gear had to that feather. Kamael told me that he could feel the strength in that feather increasing every time Hyoudou Issei used the 'Transfer' ability.

" _By the time the Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade (Prototype) broke, that feather had… 'mutated'. I cannot explain it but, I can no longer recognize it as 'mine'. Still, I could say with certainty that the feather is part of the 'Gevurah', part of the 'Powers'."_

And that, is strange. Such a thing is unthinkable. Angels, to be exact, the System of Angels is something that I have researched thousands years ago. Back when I was curious about how and why an Angel can 'Fall' and what it would mean.

Putting it simply, it is a 'network'. The Angels are members of that network. Each of them are linked to other Angels, forming a group, such as a Sephira, or currently, a Choir. The groups are then linked together to form the Angel System. Which is a part of the Ohr Ein Sof, the God System, alongside the Miracle System, the Sacred Gear System, and others.

When an Angel acts beyond certain protocols, the Ohr Ein Sof would recognize it as an attempt of rebellion and expel that Angel. This is the 'Fall' of an Angel. An Angel who fell would lose the 'blessings' given by the System, resulting in their Light attributes being weakened, and to some Angels, loss of their 'abilities'.

' _Which would mean that the presence of this feather is impossible,'_ I thought to myself as I examined the feather that Hyoudou Issei possessed. I was fortunate that he brought it with him.

The feather was white, without any trace of black that the Fallen Angels are famous for. This feather was 'infected' by a foreign entity, by the Boosted Gear's power. Yet the System did not react.

I would assume that this is one of the 'bugs' in God System caused by His death. But that's not the most important question.

The questions I must answer is, how can I use it and what would it mean for the Angels?

If this feather is still linked to the God System, then it should be able to summon the Flames of Gevurah, as it is considered as part of the entity known as Kamael.

But a feather is not sentient. It would not be able to summon the Flames. So… should I create a golem with it?

No, better not. The worst case scenario of that is Seraphiel realizing that I am indirectly accessing the God System and executes me.

How about leaving it with the Sekiryuutei? Though it would be a waste if he didn't realize what this feather contains… Perhaps I should tell him?

I'll think about it later, since the second question is more important.

What would it mean for the Angels inside the System?

It would mean disaster. Several Gods from other pantheons possess the capability to control or influence minds of others. With the God System's structure, if a high-ranked Angel is controlled by someone, the Angels under them could also be controlled through their 'link' with the System.

...in fact, some Angels may have already been infected… it has been thousands years since His death after all...

I should tell Enoch about this. He and Elijah are Angels from outside of this System, so they should be safe.

The System He had created is indeed impressive. It was one of the reasons why we managed to fight against powerful pantheons of Gods. But now that He is dead, the whole System is falling apart. Even with Seraphiel dedicating her eternity in maintaining it, the System is filled with cracks already…

Still… the fact that the system managed to maintain most of its roles even after His death is...

"...damn it Father, I'm torn between being angry and praising you right now…"

...for now, let's just focus on the things that I can handle. Let's see… first, I should talk with the Red Dragon in the Boosted Gear...

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

"Human, rise and shine, the Sun has come."

...what? ...who speaks like that?

The last thing I remembered was…

...I'll punch that mad scientist later.

" _Yeah, well… doubt you can even touch him, kid."_

...shut up, Ddraig.

"Human, we are aware that you have awoken. Open your eyes before we are forced to burn you."

...this royal 'we' and attitude…

"Omikami-sama?" I opened my eyes and saw the Empress of Takamagahara standing beside me.

...this is… the bed in the old building? Azazel-san or Metatron-sensei must have brought me here.

"Why are you looking around as if you are an oaf such as Susanoo? Welcome us, human. That is the bare minimum you should do as one of our subjects. Or perhaps you would like to be treated as if you are Susanoo instead?"

...uhh… I have a feeling that Omikami-sama doesn't like Susanoo-sama much. I really doubt that 'being treated as if you are Susanoo' is a good thing.

Anyway, first things first, I shouldn't piss off the girl who most likely can ruin my life if she is angry.

"Good afternoon Omikami-sama, may I help you?"

She nodded proudly, "Indeed, you may. We would like you to act as our escort during the upcoming conference. Of course, as with the time Uzume requested you to search for us, we shall bestow you with an appropriate reward."

Ah, a troublesome chore appears. I don't mind, but...

"...what conference?"

Omikami-sama seemed to be puzzled for a moment, but then she frowned. "Could it be that you are unaware of it, human?"

"Unaware of what?"

Just after I asked that, Metatron-sensei, Azazel-san and a girl I don't know walked into the room.

That girl looked exactly like Omikami-sama, with the same white hair and golden eyes. Does Omikami-sama have a twin? No wait, she _does_ have a twin, but Tsukuyomi-sama is a man, right?

"O Angel, why have you not informed him of the conference yet?" Omikami-sama questioned Meta-sensei with a glare, as if asking 'why are you wasting our time with a pointless distraction?'

"Well, de gozaru ne… I was **planning to** tell deshi about it before you came, de gozaru. But Azazel visited me **suddenly** and the whole plan was thrown into chaos, de gozaru. **No plan survives contact with the enemy** , de gozaru yo!"

...no wait, I don't think that's how you normally use that phrase!

"That is not a good excuse, Angel-sama," The girl admonished him. Then she turned towards me and bowed, "This should be our first meeting, correct, Sekiryuutei-sama? This one is Omikami-sama's priestess, it is this one's pleasure to meet someone who Omikami-sama held in such high esteem."

A Yamato Nadeshiko?! No wait, it's too early to tell. But she's definitely polite…

"I'm Hyoudou Issei," I replied, only bowing my head as I am still sitting on the bed, "Pleased to meet you… umm..." Wait, she didn't tell me her name, right?

The miko smiled with a hint of amusement, "This one have no name, Hyoudou-sama. It would be insolent of this one to bother Omikami-sama with such trivialities."

She had no name? That's… Is that normal for a Kami? I turned towards Omikami-sama who nodded calmly.

"Indeed, our priestess is our priestess. She needs no other identification than the fact that she is ours." Hearing that the priestess shook her head with a resigned smile.

I'm going to take a stab in the dark and assume that the miko's situation is just Omikami-sama being… well… herself. I guess if the priestess doesn't mind, I shouldn't say anything. For now, I'll call her, miko-san.

"Let us speak no more of that matter. Angel, inform him of the conference so that he might fulfill his duty to us."

Ah, wait, before that… I raised my hand to stop Meta-sensei from speaking.

"Sorry, Omikami-sama, but there's something I need to ask to Azazel-san."

Omikami-sama seemed disgruntled but nodded. I turned towards the Fallen Angel who had a grin as he saw my expression. I took a deep breath.

"What did you do to my body?! Did I get modified into some kind of superhuman?! Is this Hyoudou-san going to end up doing some pose and Henshin into a Kamen Rider?! Did you add drills or missiles to my arms?! You crazy mad scientist!"

I've been holding back those questions since I woke up. What the hell did this guy do to me while I was asleep?! Did he use that drill?! Is Hyoudou-san's brain filled with holes now?!

" _...no, if there's something wrong with your perverted brain, it's already there before that guy does anything."_

That's rude, Ddraig! I'm a perfectly healthy boy!

Hearing my questions, Azazel-san laughed! Hey! Don't laugh you Mad Scientist Fallen Angel! Sensei too! Ah! Even Omikami-sama and miko-san let out a chuckle! Horrible!

"Don't worry, Sekiryuutei. I didn't do anything. You are half-right, I _was_ planning to modify your body into a superhuman, but since most of my tools aren't here, I had to give up."

Oi! Doesn't that mean if your tools are here, I'll become some kind of Kaizou Ningen?! I like Kamen Riders and all, but becoming one through human modification is another matter!

"The one that I modified was the [Boosted Gear]. I added a weapon I made into it."

Huh? Is this true, Ddraig?

" _Yeah. You remember that weapon you used? That Blazer Shining Whatever? He put that into the [Boosted Gear]. Well, it's more like I absorbed it, though."_

That's awesome!

"You put the Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade (Prototype) into the [Boosted Gear]? That's cool, Azazel-san!"

...

Huh? Why isn't he saying anything?

In front of me, Azazel-san's smile was frozen while Metatron-sensei and miko-san seemed to be fighting an uphill battle to hold their laughter.

Omikami-sama on the other hand, had no such reservation…

She was chuckling with mirth. "The Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade (Prototype)? O Fallen, such an impressive wit you have. Fallen, nay, Artisan, do tell us the names of your other creations."

...uhh… somehow… sorry, Azazel-san...

Azazel-san put his hands around my head with a gentle smile. "Sekiryuutei."

"Ye- gwaaahh!"

Azazel-san grinded his knuckles on the sides of my head. It hurts! Damn it! This guy is a Devil! Demon! Fallen Angel!

After a while, my torture ended when he released me. Then Azazel-san entered something that I would later call, 'lecture mode'.

"Anyway, the one inside the Sacred Gear isn't a prototype like what you used before. When I heard about how the Gremory Knight achieved Balance Breaker, I tried to combine both Light and Darkness inside a single blade and created something similar to that Holy Demonic Sword. It's not as powerful, but it should be enough for you. At least, you can consider it as an Artificial Sacred Gear."

An Artificial Sacred Gear. His craziness and evilness aside, Azazel-san must be one hell of a scientist…

"Oh, you speak of something that interest us, Fallen. Do regale us with tales of this 'Artificial Sacred Gear'. Perhaps we can negotiate several agreements between Takamagahara and Grigori."

After that, Azazel-san and Omikami-sama started a difficult conversation that I couldn't follow. While I was pretending to listen, Metatron-sensei spoke to me.

"Let's use this **chance** to talk about the upcoming **conference** , de gozaru."

That's right! Omikami-sama mentioned about it.

"What conference, sensei?" I asked the Ninja Angel.

"A conference between **Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils** , de gozaru. A **summit** held in Kuoh Academy to create a **peace treaty** between the three factions of the **Bible** , de gozaru."

...the scale is too big! Why is something like that happening suddenly?! And why Kuoh Academy! Then again, it does explain why Gremory-senpai's group has been busy recently. She told Asia and I not to visit them unless there is anything important since they'll be busy for a while...

"Does this have to do with Kokabiel's attack?"

Sensei nodded, "That is **part** of the reason, de gozaru. However, there is a more **pressing concern** , de gozaru."

...to be honest, when you say it with all the de gozaru and mixed language, it doesn't feel really pressing, or even, concerning.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"That is, de gozaru ne…" Metatron-sensei trailed off, his eyes serious.

…

…?

...wait, is he trying to make this dramatic?!

"Angel-sama, we do not have much time. While it might be impertinent of this one to do so, please allow this one to explain in his stead, Hyoudou-sama," Ah, miko-san cut in. And Meta-sensei seemed depressed as he crouched in the edge of the room with gloomy background around him…

...wait those are fake background walls?! Why are you using that?! No, in fact, why the hell do you have fake backgrounds like that?!

 ***Zuun***

"There's even a sound effect?!" I retorted out loud.

"...please do not mind him, Hyoudou-sama," Miko-san managed to keep her expression calm even after all that! "Please allow this one to continue his words. There have been reports of a certain organization threatening the stability between mythological factions."

"An organization?" I repeated. Why would they be worried because of an organization?

"Indeed, a nefarious organization known as the Khaos Brigade. As the Khaos Brigade is deemed as a threat by the leaders of the three Biblical factions, the leaders of each Biblical factions have decided to form an alliance to combat the organization."

To force Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils to work together… this Khaos Brigade sounds really dangerous...

"But… why is Omikami-sama here? Omikami-sama isn't a member of this alliance, right?"

Miko-san nodded, "Indeed, Hyoudou-sama. Omikami-sama is here simply because of her whim."

...ah, that explains a lot.

Seeing my expression, she smiled, "This one shall assume Hyoudou-sama knew what this one's meant. Omikami-sama has expressed interest in the negotiation and the Khaos Brigade."

"...the Khaos Brigade too?"

"There are suspicions that they may attack Kuoh during the conference," She informed me bluntly.

...should have seen that coming. There's no way such a big conference can go off without a hitch… That's probably why Kamael hasn't returned yet.

So… Omikami-sama's request to escort her could be translated into 'Human, you shall amuse us by fighting the Khaos Brigade should they attack.'

Nooo… yet another fight threatening my life!

"As Omikami-sama is still conversing with the Fallen Angel, This one shall ask you in her place, Hyoudou-sama," Miko-san's eyes met mine, "Will you escort Omikami-sama during the conference?"

Hmm… honestly? I would rather not involve myself in dangerous problems like this again…

But… I won't really grow stronger just by repeating my training with Metatron-sensei and Kamael. At least, I won't be strong enough to fight against the likes of Kokabiel...

That's why...

I nodded.

* * *

 **Amaterasu-Omikami POV**

"How was he, our priestess?" We questioned her on our path to Takamagahara. Now that we were alone, she ceased her subservient act. Truly, it amused us how she could easily pretend to be something she is not.

She returned our words with a dismissive gesture, "Boring. He is nothing special."

"Is that so?" Our eyebrow rose as we heard her assessment.

"Aside from that weapon in his arm, he is completely ordinary. No special talents or ability. His spiritual energy is lacking. I doubt he'll live long."

Such a blunt evaluation. We could understand her words. Yet...

"Yet, he accepted our request, did he not?"

She gave us a shrug, "To be honest, that surprised me. Is that boy suicidal or something?"

"Suicidal? Certainly not, our priestess. It is simply that he possess something you, and most Deities do not possess."

Her eyebrow rose, not unlike ours moments ago. It truly feels as if we were looking into a mirror.

"And that is?"

Is that not obvious?

"A purpose."

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

"Ise-san, please wake up!"

...eh?

"Ise-san!"

Asia? ...it's weekend, right? Why is she waking me up?

"Ise-san, you have a guest!"

I opened a bleary eye to check the clock beside my bed.

6:00…

...what kind of visitor would come and visit me so early in the morning? ...and is it just me, or did the sun seem brighter today?

I have a really bad feeling about this.

No, I might be overthinking it. There's no reason for her to visi-

"Human, why have you not woken up yet? Are we not shining over the world already? To think that you have the audacity to not welcome us with praises and adoration."

...damn it.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

"Thank you for accepting Omikami-sama's request to guide her around the city, Hyoudou-sama, Argento-sama," Miko-san spoke as she bowed towards Asia and I.

The three of us and Omikami-sama are currently walking around the city. Well… since this is early in the morning, most of the stores are closed, though.

"T-There is no need for you to thank us, priestess-san!" After saying that, she continued her words in a whisper, "...this way, I can also spend some time with Ise-san…"

Then, realizing what miko-san called her, Asia spoke again with a red face, "A-And there is no need to call me like that…" I listened to their conversation while keeping an eye on Omikami-sama who would move all over the place, examining things that caught her interest.

"This one cannot do that Argento-sama," Miko-san shook her head with a smile, "This one has heard your story and finds you to be worthy of respect."

"Eh?!"

"Argento-sama, you continue to keep your faith in your God even after your fellow believers cast you aside. For this one who dedicates one's life for one's Goddess, you are someone who this one could respect."

...miko-san, I don't think Asia's face can get any redder…

"Ojou-chan, are you exercising so early in the morning?"

"Indeed so! To rise around this time everyday is the norm for us! You possess an exceptional insight, human!"

"Ara, how admirable, ojou-chan… I wish my grandchildren can follow your example."

Before I even knew it, Omikami-sama is talking to a granny! Who is that grandma? And why did you suddenly talk to her?!

"Worry not, human. The Sun shall endeavor to rise and shine brighter. You can rest assured that once they have seen the Sun's magnificence, they shall be filled with awe and aspire to be children worthy of the Land of Rising Sun!"

What the hell are you saying to a normal person?! This crazy Omikami-sama!

Unexpectedly, the granny smiled kindly and agreed with her… Omikami-sama, while you have such a satisfied expression, I can't help but think that she is treating you as a child instead of a Goddess… Are you fine with that? Are you really fine with that?!

"But…" I turned my head back to Asia and miko-san's conversation. Asia sounded hesitant as she continued, "What brings Amaterasu-sama and priestess-san to Kuoh?"

Miko-san opened her mouth to answer Asia's question but I managed to cut in.

"Omikami-sama got bored and decided to look around the city, isn't that right, miko-san?!"

I sent miko-san a pleading look. Please don't tell Asia about the conference! If she learns about it, she would want to join us! And my experience with the supernatural world tells me that it'll be dangerous…

Miko-san seemed to understand what I meant as she nodded, "Indeed. Omikami-sama came to this city because of her whim."

"Is that so…" Asia seemed to be a bit disappointed when she heard miko-san's words. Then she seemed to cheer up, "Then, Ise-san, let's show Amaterasu-sama and priestess-san around so that they'll have lots of fun memories!"

"That sounds good," I gave Asia a thumbs up as we continued our 'city tour'.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

After walking for awhile, we decided to take a rest at a park. It was the same park where Asia and I met.

...now that I think about it, I've been spending less time with Asia lately… After the incident with Kokabiel, I spent most of my time training with Metatron-sensei or going along with Gremory-senpai's group to fight stray devils.

I have to get stronger… so I can protect Asia...

"Human."

I looked up and saw Omikami-sama staring at my face with a frown.

"You had quite an interesting expression. We shall allow you to inform us of your troubles."

I hold back a laughter hearing her words. She is basically telling me that she would listen to my troubles but she said it like that… and I didn't even feel any arrogance or haughtiness from her words. It's like she is just naturally like that.

"Well…" I kept my voice down so that Asia, who was talking with miko-san away from us, couldn't hear me, "...can I ask you not to mention anything about the conference to Asia?"

One of Omikami-sama's eyebrow rose, "We shall listen to your justification."

"I don't want her to be involved in dangerous things like this."

To my words, the Goddess of the Sun seemed offended, "Dangerous? Surely you jest. Who would dare to harm her within our presence?"

...I wish I can share her optimism…

"Omikami-sama, you know about the fight against Kokabiel, right?" Receiving a nod, I continued, "That was the first time I saw such a huge difference of power between me and my opponent. Before that, I thought I can protect Asia from danger."

I smiled wryly at my own words, Protect her? No way I can do that. I doubt I can win against anyone who seriously tries to kill me. Even with Ddraig's help, I'm still just a human after all. I even thought for a moment that being remodeled by Azazel-san might not be so bad if I can gain power to protect Asia but...

"But after seeing guys like that, I guess there's no way I can protect her. But, I thought I can at least buy some time before someone like Kamael or Uzume-san can save her," Yeah, I think I can do that, at least. "The Artificial Sacred Gear that Azazel-san gave me can help me do that, I think."

Omikami-sama seemed to be unimpressed by my words.

"Human, do you not remember the words you spoke to us?" She questioned me with a frown.

Huh? "You mean about me fighting against my urge to kill?"

It seemed so laughable now. Forget trying not to kill my opponent, I'll be lucky if they decide not to kill me.

"Indeed. The you at that moment, was an interesting human. But as you are right now, you are boring. You are not choosing to kill as a Dragon. Nor are you choosing to survive as a human. You have lost your will and purpose."

"It annoys us that we must admit to her that she is correct," Omikami-sama muttered to herself.

I didn't understand what her mutterings meant, but I knew that she is basically telling me that she disagreed with my words.

"Then what am I supposed to do, Omikami-sama? I can't fight against beings like Kokabiel. That's why I tried to protect Asia by making sure she isn't involved with dangerous things like the conference," I wanted to raise my voice but since Asia might hear me, I just whispered to Omikami-sama strongly.

"And that is the cause of this farce between you and the nun?" Omikami-sama questioned. "Do you truly believe that what you attempt to do escapes her notice?"

Wha-

"Human. As you have declared to us, you are a human. You have chosen to live and fight as one. Thus, we shall remind you to fight as one."

Fight… as a human? Against the likes of Kokabiel?

"There's no way a human can-"

"They can," Omikami-sama asserted, "We can see that you are trapped by fear. Unfortunately, we cannot help you, as you must break free of your insecurity with your own power."

"However," The Empress of Heaven met my eyes and smiled kindly, "We are the Sun. We are not a Goddess who will take your hand and guide you to victory, nor are we the ones who will give you what you need to earn victory. However, the Sun shall illuminate the path you may traverse."

"It will not be easy," She spoke softly as she closed her eyes, "We assure you that it will be filled with suffering. For the path you claimed that you wish to walk is an arduous one. Yet, should you not lose your will, as we have declared to you before."

She opened her golden eyes that seemed to glow brilliantly, "The Sun shall watch over you. As you walk through this path, as you struggle, as you stand triumphant, we shall be with you. That is our promise."

I could only sat there, staring at her blankly. I heard others call her a Goddess, and she named herself as one. Yet… only now did I understand what it meant.

I nodded.

Yeah, I'll do it. Who cares if my enemies are stronger than me? Who cares if they can kill me? I'll protect my friends, no matter what.

I am Hyoudou Issei. And I swear that I'll walk this path until the end!

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

Hello everyone, this is Hyoudou Issei. How are you doing this fine day?

As for me? Things are going swimmingly today. No, I'm not lying.

...honest!

...okay, truthfully, I am wondering if I should write a will. Or at least, play all the games I haven't played yet. I wouldn't want to die filled with regrets after all. A harem would be great, but if It wouldn't mean anything if I died without enjoying it. Sure, I agreed to fight against those who would be a threat to my friends but, well… better be safe than sorry.

Those were my thoughts as I walked in front of Omikami-sama and miko-san, guiding them to the site of the conference in Kuoh Academy.

...all around this academy were people who definitely had no business of being here normally. Even with a glance, I can already tell that most of them can destroy me in a blink of an eye. And… they are all looking at us with suspicion.

Omikami-sama! Why is this happening?!

"Issei? I see that you have learned of the conference."

I almost cried tears of joy when I heard Kamael's voice.

"...and you are bringing quite a troublesome company with you," Kamael stated as he stared at Omikami-sama who looked around the hallway of the academy with interest.

"So this is a school... it is marvelous, is it not, our priestess? By spending their days here, the children had the knowledge of the world engraved upon their minds. As they grow in mind and body, the tutelage they receive are adjusted to suit their needs. Once the children went through a complete indoctrination, they are unleashed upon the world to leave their mark. Truly, a fine institution."

...somehow, I just heard the school system being explained in a really weird way.

"...Amaterasu-Omikami, what brings you to this place?" Kamael questioned her with a slight frown.

"Can you not see, Angel? We have taken it upon ourselves to grace this momentous conference with our presence," Omikami-sama… why do you look so satisfied as you say that…

Kamael's frown deepened as his body tensed, "The air is strained enough without an outside party's presence in this conference. If you have no pressing business here, I will have to ask you to leave."

"We have informed your leader of our decision. We have also secured the Fallen's support. Even the King of Devils have voiced his agreement upon our decision," Without any trace of worry, Omikami-sama stated.

"...is that so?" With an annoyed sigh, Kamael inclined his head, "Pardon my rudeness then. Shall I show you where the conference will take place, Amaterasu-Omikami?"

...you know, I just realized that even though Kamael called Omikami-sama without much respect, miko-san did not say anything. In fact, she seemed amused by Kamael and Omikami-sama's exchange.

"An Angel who apologizes to a Goddess and acknowledges her Divinity… is this personage an acquaintance of yours, Hyoudou-sama?" Miko-san asked me with a raised eyebrow.

I nodded, "He is Kamael, a friend of mine."

"A friend, is it?" Miko-san smiled as she heard my answer, "Such a peculiar word you use, Hyoudou-sama."

Huh? What does she mean?

" _She probably thinks that it is strange that you consider an angel, a friend. They aren't exactly a known for being civil to people outside their faith."_

Ddraig! You've been quiet since a few days ago! I thought you were hibernating or something.

" _...let's stop joking around for a bit. Kid, be careful. I've been sensing the white guy for the last few days. I'm sure of it. That guy is near us right now."_

...the white guy? ...I recalled something that Ddraig told me long ago.

Are you talking about the White Dragon? He's here?

" _I'll tell you later. I have a feeling we'll see them soon."_

"Issei," Kamael called out to me as he began to guide us towards the conference room, "There is something I would like to give to you. But it will have to wait until after the conference."

Something he wants to give me? I don't know what it is, but if Kamael is giving it to me, I guess it won't be anything dangerous.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

"Amaterasu-Omikami," Kamael suddenly spoke as he stopped before a door.

Wait, why is there a door here? I've never seen a door here before.

" _The door seem to be hidden by a magical barrier. It's probably a secret room made by the Devils."_

That explains why I never noticed it...

"What is it, Angel?"

"Are you aware of the reason behind this conference?"

The reason behind this conference? Isn't it to make peace between the three factions?

"A foolish question. Should the answer not be obvious?" Omikami-sama answered with a slight smile.

...uwaa… This is really bad… I thought about it before, but it seems that I was still too naive…

There's definitely something being hidden in this conference. Which means…

...looks like I'm being dragged into something troublesome again… those were my thoughts as I resisted the urge to let out a shout of despair.

Kamael listened to Omikami-sama's answer with cold eyes, "If that is so, why would you choose to attend this conference, Ruler of Takamagahara?"

Omikami-sama's smile grew a bit, "Takamagahara will not move without a cause. We shall give them that cause."

Hearing that, Kamael seemed to be satisfied, "Then, welcome to the conference." He opened the door.

The four of us entered the room. Inside the room was a round table. Four people sat around the table, leaving a single empty chair, with several others standing behind the four. Looking at the people in the room, I could make a guess on which one is which.

One of the person who sat on a chair was Azazel-san. He gave me a small nod and a grin. So that would be the Fallen Angel faction, right?

The crimson haired man with bluish-green eyes and the black haired, blue-eyed girl sitting in front of Gremory-senpai and Sitri-senpai should be the Maous… and… is that a maid?! Why is a maid standing there like it's perfectly normal? Is that maid-san a Devil too?!

...let's put aside the grey-haired maid-san for a moment… since they look so similar, the red haired man should be Gremory-senpai's brother, right? The Lucifer guy? That would mean that the girl is Sitri-senpai's sister, Leviathan. She looked like she was younger than Sitri-senpai...

Lucifer-san seemed to be watching us calmly while Leviathan-san seemed to give off a carefree feeling. So that's the Devil faction...

The man with long blond hair and green eyes who had a gentle-looking expression should be the leader of the Angel faction since Irina is standing behind him. Kamael made his way towards that side and seemed to be having a conversation a girl standing beside Irina.

The girl had a long platinum blond hair and red eyes. Her skin was pale and her white dress didn't show her body shape, but judging from her arms and height, she was petite, almost like a doll.

The leader of Angels gave off the feeling of kindness while the girl…

Why is she looking at me like that? Her eyes seemed to be judging every move I make. Did Kamael-san tell her something about me? ...maybe she caught me staring at her before?

Anyway, I think I should keep some distance away from most of the Angel faction. ...I mean, not only that the Church excommunicated Asia, there's also the whole thing with Kiba...

" _Partner."_

Yeah, Ddraig?

" _I know that you can feel his gaze. Why not try to meet his eyes?"_

Who are you talking about?

" _The white guy."_

I could not explain why, but the moment Ddraig said that, my eyes immediately went to the silver-haired man leaning to the wall behind Azazel-san.

The moment my eyes met his, I instantly felt the urge to fight him. Similar to the urge to kill I felt in battle. The man seemed to smirk, as if challenging me.

" _Don't. You're not strong enough right now. You'll just be throwing your life away."_

Ddraig's words snapped me out of my trance. Yeah, I can already tell that this guy is strong…

So… he's... the White Dragon, Hakuryuukou. Ddraig's… no, our rival…

" _Yeah, and it looks like we'll have a lot catching up to do."_

Unaware of my thoughts, Omikami-sama made her way to the round table.

"Amaterasu-Omikami, the Empress of the Rising Sun. We express our gratitude for your invitation to this wonderful event," Omikami-sama gave a curtsy to accompany her words.

"Amaterasu-Omikami, Thank you for taking your time to attend this conference," Lucifer-san greeted her as he stood up and faced Omikami-sama, "We have met a few times, but please allow me to introduce myself once more."

"I am Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the Four Maous leading the Devils. Please, feel free to have a seat."

"I'm Serafall Leviathan, a Maou, nice to meet you, Amaterasu-chan!" Leviathan-san introduced herself as she followed approached Omikami-sama and offered her a handshake.

From the side, I could see Omikami-sama's eyebrow twitching because of the way Leviathan-san called her. As expected of a Maou… she knew no fear.

Omikami-sama seemed to suppress her annoyance as she took Leviathan-san's hand. Then the leader of Angel faction spoke as he stood up.

"I am the leader of Angels, Michael. Welcome to the conference, Amaterasu-san."

So that guy is Michael-san… judging from Kamael's expression, he disagreed with Michael-san's declaration.

"We meet again, Ojou-chan," Azazel-san greeted Omikami-sama casually from the side! Why are you being so casual?! Isn't this supposed to be a formal meeting?! The other three acted respectful, shouldn't you at least pretend to act formal?! "As you know, I'm Azazel, the Governor of the Grigori."

"A pleasure, Angel," Omikami-sama answered Michael-san curtly. I have a feeling that she doesn't like him much… "And indeed, we do, Fallen."

"You have met her before, Azazel?" Michael-san questioned Azazel-san with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah," Azazel-san answered with an easygoing grin, "Saw her while visiting the Sekiryuutei over there."

Don't point at me! Don't drag me in this discussion of yours!

"I see…" Lucifer-san spoke as he scrutinized me, "So he is the Sekiryuutei…"

Noo! Don't involve me in this! Don't recognize me! Ddraig, they are talking about you, right? Not me?

" _You're the Sekiryuutei now, kid."_

Gremory-senpai's group seem to be holding back smiles looking at my predicament! Horrible!

While I was stared at by most of the people in the room, Kamael spoke up.

"My apologies, however, we should start the conference soon."

Michael-san nodded at Kamael's words, "You're right, Kamael. Then, Sirzechs, would you mind beginning the conference?"

Lucifer-san nodded, then he, Michael-san and Leviathan-san sat on their respective seats while Omikami-sama sat on the remaining seat.

"Rias, Sona, please give your reports."

Gremory-senpai and Sitri-senpai began to speak. ...they seem to be talking about the incident with Kokabiel.

" _Well, seems like it calmed you down, kid,"_ Ddraig spoke up. _"Since you know what those two are talking about, this is a good chance to talk to you about Albion."_

The White Dragon, right?

" _I told you about the story between him and I, right?"_

Yeah, only a bit, though. Are you going to tell me about the rest of the story?

" _Yes, so listen well, kid."_

I turned my focus to the story that Ddraig was about to tell.

" _You know about how the three groups sitting around that table, Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils, once fought a great war against each other, right?"_

I've heard of it, yeah. And according to Kamael, you and the White Dragon fought near their battlefield, right?

" _That's right. While the rest of the world sided with one of the three factions or stayed out of the conflict, including some Dragons, most Dragons chose to ignore the battle and do whatever we want."_

...you guys must be a really wild bunch, huh?

With a laugh, Ddraig answered, _"You're right. The Dragons are a wild bunch. And among those wild idiots, the two biggest idiots were a Red Dragon and a White Dragon. These two idiots had power rivaling Gods and Maous, and they've been fighting each other for a long time..."_

I stayed quiet as Ddraig continued, _"Days, months, years, they don't know how long they've been fighting. I don't think they even remember why they fought. The Red Dragon can gain power in an instant and the White Dragon can steal its opponent's power. They simply fought until one of them wins."_

That's…

" _It is not something that should be pitied. At least, I feel that is something that I can be proud of. To fight against my rival for so long. Doing everything we can to defeat each other, overcoming our limits and growing stronger with each battle. Even when we stopped our battle for a moment, we would fight other beings to gain more power. All for the sake of defeating the other."_

...I couldn't understand why Ddraig would be proud of living a life filled with battle. No, if it was the me who chose to live as a Dragon, I probably would understand. But since I've rejected that path, I can only listen to Ddraig's tale.

" _One day, their battle brought them near the battlefield between the three factions. Of course, they don't care about the feuding factions. All they cared about was the continuation of their fight."_

...how could you and the White Dragon ignore the three factions? I mean, this is when God and the original Maous were still alive, right? And if what Kokabiel said was true, this was when Kamael and the others were in their prime, right?

" _The three factions realized that if the Dragons continued their fight, not only the war, but the whole world would be in danger. So they banded together and fought against the Dragons."_

Suddenly, Ddraig chuckled, _"We said to them,_ 'Don't get in the way of our fight!' _and_ 'A mere God and Maous shouldn't be interrupting a fight between Dragons!' _Albion and I acted like idiots and fought against them. It was really a stupid move…"_

Yeah, it probably was.

" _You don't need to say it, kid. I know it was."_

But…

...it sounds cool.

I don't really get the way you lived, Ddraig. I don't think I can be happy fighting against someone all my life. However, hearing your story...

...it really sounds like you had a good life. Living and dying as a proud Dragon who does what he wants, right?

Ddraig let out a loud laugh when he heard me.

" _Yeah, you're right, kid. It was a good life."_ Then, he continued, _"But, even after that, my life hasn't ended yet. Albion and I died as Dragons. But that God took our souls and formed two Sacred Gears using it. The [Boosted Gear] and the [Divine Dividing]."_

" _Since then, The White Dragon and I woke up inside the Sacred Gears possessed by humans. And the humans who had our Sacred Gears were influenced by our 'residues', acting more like Dragons than humans, having urge to kill and fight, especially against each other."_

" _Through the humans, we fought again. One dies, the other lives. Then the one died woke up inside a new host. The new host fought against the other again. There were also times when the other died before they met or died because of other causes, but sooner or later, a new host would be chosen and they would fight. This continued for a long time. Each time my host died, I would be inactive until a new host is chosen, and the moment I woke up inside a new host, I knew that this cycle would repeat."_

...I didn't think about it before but… having your souls taken and used to create weapons, and then moving from vessels to vessels, isn't that basically an eternal prison?

" _It is,"_ Ddraig answered me lightly.

Shouldn't you be more angry about it? Your life is basically connected to me, you know. And… I'm pretty sure I can't win against the White Dragon right now.

" _That's the point, kid. I think it's because of the speech that the Sun Goddess gave you, but you just said,_ 'I can't win against the White Dragon **right now** ' _, didn't you?"_ Ddraig asked me with a chuckle.

What about it?

" _If you gave up and say that it's impossible for you to win, I'll probably ignore you since you'll die sooner or later."_ Hey! _"In fact, I thought about doing that when I noticed that you started to lose your will after the fight with that Fallen Angel."_

" _But since you seem to have regained that spirit of yours. I'll stick with you for now, kid. Let's grow stronger. Strong enough that you can achieve your goal, strong enough that you can win against the White Dragon."_

Yeah. ...even if I win, I won't kill him though.

" _Doesn't matter to me. If you win against Albion, that's good enough to me. If he lives and challenges you again, you just have to win again. Among my past wielders, there were those who chose similar paths like you. One guy even defeated two Hakuryuukou in his lifetime. Do you think you can live up to their legacy?"_

It's not the matter of what I think, Ddraig.

It's the path that I chose, so I'll walk through it.

* * *

 **Azazel POV**

Hmm...

The Sekiryuutei today was different from the one I met before.

The Sekiryuutei I met before seemed to be haunted by his own lack of power. When he spoke about his worries to Enoch and I, it was clear to me that he was losing hope. He felt that he could never accomplish his goals because of the vast difference between him and us, beings who lived in Legends.

But the Sekiryuutei today… he is interesting. I can see why Kamael took a liking to him. The Sekiryuutei, no, Hyoudou Issei seem to not only regain his spirit, but also decided to move forward.

From the stories Vali told me, it seems that wielders of [Boosted Gear] and [Divine Dividing] could easily lose themselves to the influence of the Dragons. The thoughts and way of life that the original Dragons and the past wielders had were left in the Sacred Gears.

They would be beings that were controlled by lust for battle, unable to stop themselves from reveling in conflict, to fight against their counterpart the moment they encounter one another.

I had thought that Hyoudou Issei would give in to the influence and became something similar to the past Sekiryuutei… but instead, it seems that he decided to move on without giving in to the Red Dragon Emperor's influence.

Really interesting… I should send Kamael some information about the [Boosted Gear] once this party ends. No, perhaps I should speak directly to Hyoudou Issei instead.

"...that is all. The report which contains what I, Rias Gremory, and my Peerage had experienced."

Oh, the Gremory princess is done with her report.

"Now then, Azazel. After hearing the report, I would like to hear your opinion, as the Governor of the Fallen Angels."

I could feel everyone's eyes on me. Well, most of them seem to have a negative impression of me. I guess it comes with being an Evil Angel.

Then, let's get this show on the road, shall we?

I put on a dashing smile as I answered Sirzechs, "Regarding that incident, Kokabiel acted independently, he didn't speak of his plans to me or the other Cadres. In fact, I'm quite sure that Kokabiel had voiced his opinions on me during the incident. After receiving information of his actions, I requested Kamael to neutralize Kokabiel and to bring him back to the Grigori."

When the attention of the people in this room were turned towards Kamael, he nodded. He's a good guy as usual, huh? Agreeing to my story so easily even though it would mean he is in direct contact with me, who is supposed to be his enemy.

"After Kamael brought him back to the Grigori," I continued, gaining their attention once more, "The other Cadres and I interrogated him and decided on his punishment. The punishment we decided was an eternity in Cocytus. In case you doubt any part of my story, Kamael can vouch for me as he witnessed the torture and the punishment with his own eyes."

One of Kamael's eye seemed to twitch at my words. Hmm… to translate his body language, that's about equal to a normal person shuddering. Now why would that be? Sending sinners to Cocytus is part of his job, there's no reason to react like that. Is it because of the interrogation? What was it again? I couldn't remember it well since it was decided while we were drunk…

Or maybe it was his other eye twitch which meant that he is getting annoyed. Which means, I probably should say something.

"The explanation I just gave should be forwarded to you guys already, right?" I asked them.

"O Fallen, we have yet to receive such documents," Amaterasu spoke towards me, "However, we recognize that we are but a spectator in this show. Thus, we shall forgive your transgression."

I held back a chuckle, she seemed to be annoyed by how boring the conference is. Or maybe she was trying to liven things up by saying something like that.

Can't say that I disagree with that. We have to make it showy after all.

"Apologies for that, Ojou-chan. I'll hand over the documents to that secretary beside you."

To my amusement, Amaterasu turned towards the Sekiryuutei, faking an expression of pure confusion, "Human, we do not recall giving you the honor to act as our secretary. However, be content with the knowledge that we appreciate your attempt to appease us."

"Not me! I think Azazel-san was talking about miko-san!"

Seriously, this kid is fun. He reacted so naturally even when he is talking to a Goddess. I saw Sirzechs and Michael keeping up their facades of seriousness while holding back their smiles.

Serafall had no such restraint and laughed freely.

"Let us return to the topic," Michael spoke up, "Azazel, can we have your word that you had nothing to do with this incident, and possess no desire to start another war?"

To his question, I nodded, "I don't have any interest in war. As for this incident… I guess the fact that Kokabiel managed to act on his plan that without me noticing for so long is a miss for me."

"If you don't have any interest in war," Sirzechs narrowed his eyes, "Why have you been gathering many Sacred Gear wielders for the past decades?"

"Sirzechs raised a good point," Michael said with a nod, "When I received such reports, especially the report that you have recruited the White Dragon Emperor, I had assumed that you are gathering soldiers to wage another war. Yet…"

From the corner of my eye, I can see the Sekiryuutei staring at us in puzzlement.

Of course he would be confused. Unlike the Gremory and Sitri princesses and the exorcist girl that Michael brought with him, Enoch have already told the Sekiryuutei about the reason behind this conference. He must be puzzled at the sight of Sirzechs and Michael accusing me of wanting to wage another war.

Well, just play along for now, kid.

I gave a bitter smile in response to Michael and Sirzechs' accusations, "I'm a researcher. It's in my nature to be curious about things like Sacred Gears. How they were made, how they worked. I want to understand all of it. The other Cadres agreed with me and we told the rest of the Grigori not to interfere with humans politics or other factions. Do you guys really doubt me that much?"

"Of course."

"Without question."

"That's exactly right."

"Do you truly need to ask, Fallen?"

Ouch, even Serafall and the Empress joined in the bullying. And I think that wink is uncalled for, Serafall.

Still… I suppose it's about time…

"Tch, I thought that you guys are better than than God and the original Great Satans, but you guys are troublesome as well. I can't even do my research in peace," I smirked, "Now that's an idea. Why don't we get this squabble over with and make peace? That's the reason why we've gathered here, right?"

I wished I could capture the faces of the spectators in a camera. The faces of Gremory and Sitri princesses were filled with disbelief and their Peerages and the exorcist acted as if a Demon just offered to give them a tour of Heaven.

...now that's an interesting thought. After this conference, maybe we can have other factions visit each other's areas. I'll have to make something that would keep Devils safe from Heaven's purifying power though… that'll be a good way to kill time.

"...yes," Michael nodded, "I planned to propose peace to the Devils and Fallen Angels as well. There is no reason to continue this futile war between the three of factions. Especially since the original cause of this war, Father and the original Great Satans are dead."

Before I could help myself, I let out a loud laugh. Seriously? _That_ Michael was seriously saying something like that?

"You've changed a lot, [ _Who is Like God?]_ You are completely different from the time you went all over the world, challenging and destroying other religions," The old Michael, the Archangel of Hod, the Archangel whose name is a challenge to those who declare themselves equal to God, would never consider making peace with Devils or Fallen Angels.

"I have done many things that I now regret. Losing God and my brothers and sisters opened my eyes. The Heavenly Host has decided that the most important task for us now is to watch over and guide the children of God."

...Michael, while I understand what you are trying to say, perhaps I should give you a warning. While that Angel, Ariel and the exorcist girl seemed to understand your words, I think your words fell to deaf ears to that one.

I saw Kamael gazing towards Michael's back with a blank expression. Michael, it seems to me that he hasn't forgiven you for _that maiden's_ death.

Better change the subject.

"Hey, with that speech, wouldn't you 'Fall'? I heard that you and Seraphiel managed to maintain the System, did you make some changes to it? That's certainly not 'big sis's' style. I'm surprised you're still alive after doing that, Michael. Looks like Heaven became a better place since we 'Fell'."

Most of the people in this room wouldn't get the joke, but along with Ariel's laughter, I could see Kamael's lip moving upwards slightly.

Phew, bomb defused.

"We, the Devils, also feel the same. Should there be another war, it'll end with our extinction."

Indeed, if we start another war...

"A war will end with our mutual destruction. And our extinction will have ramifications on human world as well. In the worst case scenario, it would be the end of this world."

The end of this world?

Ridiculous. I will not accept a bad ending such as that. This world is filled with endless marvels. Marvels of men and Father's creations.

"Some argued that the world is meaningless without God. That a world without God is distorted. They claimed that a world without Him could do nothing but decay. Yet, are we not living here? You and I? Are we not making the best of each of our days?"

I opened my arms. This, is my belief. Since the day I was created. Since the moment I saw He who inspired me so. Even after I saw Him fell, never to rise again.

I am the Sacrifice that was Cast Out. Never to be offered to Him.

Thus, I did not give my life for Him. Though He inspired me, I had never revolved my life around Him.

Even after He fell, nothing has changed. For me, or for the world.

 _"The world moves even without God."_

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

After that, the conference became more relaxed and now, the three faction leaders and Omikami-sama seemed to be engrossed with talking about the details of the alliance.

I looked at the rest of the people in the room. Gremory-senpai seemed to be talking with Sitri-senpai, with Akeno-senpai and Shinra-senpai, the vice president of the Student Council.

Xenovia and Irina seemed to be talking to each other. Didn't expect that, I thought Irina would have problems with Xenovia becoming a Devil.

"Issei-kun," Kiba called out to me as he walked towards me. ...now that I think about it, I don't see Toujou-chan. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Kiba," I grinned as I waved at him. "Yeah, I thought it'll be a while before I'll get dragged into something troublesome again, but here I am."

Kiba chuckled at my answer, "Sounds like someone cursed you with misfortune. Do you want me to see if I can do something about it?"

"...this is the pattern where you say that it'll cost me my soul, right?" I half-joked. For all I knew, the Devils might actually ask souls for payment.

Kiba shook his head, "We don't do that unless you ask for something of high value." ...he's joking, right? "Presently, we are using a system where humans' wishes are converted to something of equal value. I suppose the most common payment would be lifespan."

...he's definitely joking, right?

Knowing Kiba, no, he is not joking.

...how to say this? The way a Devil thinks is really different from humans…

"What do you think, Issei-kun? Want to try making a contract with me?"

Wishes, huh? Can they fulfill wishes like making me strong?

No, I decided to move on as a human. There's no point doing that if I have to rely on wishes.

" _That's surprising."_ Why? _"I thought you'd make a wish for a harem."_

! That's right! I can fulfill my harem fantasy with it!

" _...no matter what, you're still an idiot."_

I resent that!

Then again, even if I the contract can create a harem for me, it'll just be filled with 'dreams', right? It's not like they are real girls who fell in love with me.

...somehow, I think that's just wrong. There's no meaning in making a harem like that.

"No, thanks," I shook my head as I answered him, "Achieving my dream like that will make it pointless, right?"

Kiba gave me a smile as he nodded, "That's true."

"You seem to have fended off a temptation, Issei," Kamael spoke to me, the female Angel standing beside him. ...when did they get here? Did he came because he heard Kiba's offer? ...the girl is still staring at me...

"Looks like your bodyguard is here, Issei," Kiba spoke up with an amused smile. ...no wait, that's one of his fake smile.

"A bodyguard? I am a friend of Issei," Kamael coldly retorted to Kiba's comment.

"So am I."

...uwaa, if this was an anime or a manga, they would be shooting lightning from their eyes.

"Kamael," The girl spoke as she grabbed Kamael's shoulder, still not taking her eyes off me.

"...my apologies, Ariel," So the Angel's name is Ariel? That's a cute name, "Issei, there is someone I would like to introduce to you."

Ariel-san inclined her head towards me, "I am the Chief of the Ninth Choir, Ariel. It appears that you are the human who fascinates Kamael so."

...well… in a way, that's not wrong… "Nice to meet you, Ariel-san. My name is Hyoudou Issei."

"Hyoudou Issei, is it?" Ariel-san repeated my name. "Such a-"

" _This is…"_ Ddraig? What is it? _"Watch out, kid!"_

"Ariel," Kamael spoke up, interrupting Ariel-san. His voice was cold, "They are here."

The [Boosted Gear] materialized itself on my arm. Beside me, Kiba materialized his Holy Demonic Sword.

During that same instant, time stood still.


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD.**

 **Warning, this story contains religious and mythological elements. The author does not mean any disrespect to the mentioned religious views.**

 **Thanks to Wrathie Winsre for the cover image!  
**

 **I'll be replying to Guests Reviewers here since they can't be PM'd.**

 **Guest: Thanks! I'm trying to update as much as possible, but well... sometimes RL problems prevent me from doing so.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

 **The Khaos Brigade  
**

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

"What's going on?"

What just happened? Suddenly some of us seemed to be in a different places. Kamael and Ariel-san were on the other side of the room. Even though they were talking with me just a moment ago.

The leaders seemed to be in a deep discussion with each other.

"This is…" Kiba seemed to have realized what had happened as he looked around. In Kiba's hands was the Holy Demonic Sword.

Himejima-senpai, Sitri-senpai, and Shinra-senpai were motionless. Why aren't they reacting?

"Isn't this [Forbidden Balor View], Buchou?" Xenovia asked Gremory-senpai a question, the Durandal grasped in her hands.

"Gasper…" Gremory-senpai said something.

Forbidden Balor View and Gasper… well… I don't know anything about those two, but it seems like this Forbidden Balor View is the reason for whatever just happened.

" _Balor Birugderc, the King of Formonians. Better known as Balor of the Evil Eye. Most describe him as a single-eyed Giant who possess a magical eye that could turn destroy everything. Last I heard, he got turned into a Sacred Gear."_

So this Forbidden Balor View is that Sacred Gear?

" _Yeah, no doubt about it. It's different from Balor's eye that I knew though."_ What do you mean, Ddraig? _"As I said, Balor's eye destroys everything. To be more exact, everything in his sight will be burned to ashes. But this Sacred Gear's ability seem to be a time stopping ability."_

Time stopping?! Isn't that a really strong ability?! Stronger than the original?!

" _In a way, it is stronger. But as you can see, most of the people in this room seem to be able to negate it. Even the ones lacking power to ignore the Sacred Gear's ability can find a way to protect themselves, like your Devil friends' Durandal and Holy Demonic Sword."_

I see… so the reason why Akeno-senpai, Sitri-senpai, and Shinra-senpai are 'stopped' is because they don't have a way to protect themselves from the Forbidden Balor View.

Still… why did the owner of this Sacred Gear attack us? Who is this Gasper that Gremory-senpai mentioned?

"Gremory," Kamael called out, "It seems that they are using the Vampire in your Peerage."

Vampires exist?!

" _...why is that surprising? You are friends with an Angel and a Devil. And that's before we even begin to talk about me or the Sun Goddess."_

But Ddraig, vampires! I thought they are just stories...

"They?" Gremory-senpai frowned, "Chief of Powers, you know who did this?"

"The Khaos Brigade. Putting it simply, a terrorist organization. Not much is known about its goals. However, it seems that some of its members are against this alliance that we are discussing."

Now that I think about it, if this 'Khaos Brigade' is crazy enough to attack us, doesn't that mean they are confident enough to beat the leaders of Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels?!

" _Don't panic, kid. The number of beings who can challenge the leaders of Biblical faction are small and most of them don't like sneaking around like this, and prefers a direct battle."_

That's good... I think?

"A terrorist organization…" Senpai's eyes widened, "Gasper and Koneko are in trouble! Onii-sama!"

"Calm down, Rias," Lucifer-san spoke to her calmly, "Don't worry, we are prepared for their arrival."

Hearing that Gremory-senpai seemed to settle down a bit. Though, her eyes showed that she is still worried.

From what Gremory-senpai said, it seems that this Gasper is her acquaintance.

"Still, I did not expect them to attack us with the [Forbidden Balor View]," Michael-san spoke, "Does this mean the traps we set are useless?"

"No," Azazel-san shook his head with a smirk, "Last I saw him, the Vampire kid is still not strong enough to control [Forbidden Balor View]. Most likely, they are forcibly feeding him energy and caused him to reach a level similar to Balance Breaker temporarily. At the very least, the traps and army we stationed _outside_ of this Academy should be working."

"Still… to think that it got powered up into the ability to 'stop time inside of objects that its wielder sees.' That kid has a lot of potential," Azazel-san nodded in approval.

"The army we brought to this Academy seem to be stopped as well, Michael," Ariel-san spoke as she stared at the sight outside the window. "...and it seems hostiles are teleporting into this academy's vicinity using the magic circle they set above this academy."

Huh? A magic circle? I walked towards the windows and looked up.

A massive orange magic circle floated in the sky. From there, people with cloaks appeared and started attacking the building and the frozen army of Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels.

Barriers of light started appearing around the frozen army and Kuoh Academy's main building, protecting them.

"Kamael, it seems that they are using the magic system that your nephew created," Ariel-san commented with an amused smile. Then she waved her right hand, small spheres of light appearing and disappearing around her fingers.

" _She was the one who made those barriers, kid."_

She made all those barriers?! How can she do that so easily?!

" _She must have a lot of control over her power. Well, there are a some Deities who would train their power until they mastered it. Usually took them a few hundred or thousand years though. Guess that she is the same type as them."_

...forget that then. I'm pretty sure I can't live that long.

Still… something she said makes me curious, Kamael's nephew?

"Do you know how to remove it?" Ariel-san asked Kamael.

"Myrddin's magic circle, is it?" Kamael seemed to be considering something as he nodded towards Ariel-san, "I do. However, it might be better to allow the Magicians to come here and eliminate them all at once."

"Rather than focusing on the magic circle, I suggest we mobilize the reserve units and consider breaking the effect of [Forbidden Balor View] as our main priority. As long as the [Forbidden Balor View] remains activated, we are unable to use our numbers to overwhelm them."

"Kamael, as we have discussed, we leave the command to you," Michael-san declared, "Sirzechs, Azazel, and I will enter the battlefield. Their goal is to eliminate us, our presence should attract their leaders as well."

"Azazel, are you sure that _it_ won't involve _itself_ in this battle?" Lucifer-san asked Azazel-san.

"I'm sure," Azazel-san said with a smirk, "Trust me a bit, won't you?"

"Serafall," Lucifer-san turned towards Leviathan-san, "Can you guard this place?"

Huh? Leviathan-san is also a Maou, right? Wouldn't it be better for her to fight as well?

Then I saw where Leviathan-san was staring. That's right! Sitri-senpai was 'stopped'. She must be worried about her sister.

"Sirzechs-chan..." Leviathan-san shook her head with a smile, "It's alright, I'll fight too. There's Amaterasu-chan here. I'm sure she can protect Sona-chan!"

Then, she turned towards, Omikami-sama, "Amaterasu-chan, can I ask you to protect Sona-chan? Pretty please?"

"Worry not, Devil," Omikami-sama nodded without hesitation, "We shall give you our word that your sister shall not be harmed. The same applies to those who chose to stay in this place."

"Thanks!"

After that, Michael-san, Azazel-san, and the two Maous walked towards the window.

"Vali," Azazel-san called out to the Hakuryuukou, "You're with me."

"Sure," The Hakuryuukou gave Azazel-san a nod and passed by me as he walked towards Azazel-san.

…

He didn't say anything or even looked at me. For some reason, I'm getting annoyed.

Wings of Light appeared behind the Hakuryuukou's back.

"Balance Break."

What?!

[Vanishing Dragon Balance Breaker!]

The Hakuryuukou's form was covered in light that transformed into a white full body armor. He turned towards me and inclined his head, as if challenging me to go out into the battlefield.

"Let's go!"

The Fallen Angel and the White Dragon duo leapt out of the window, seconds after that, sounds of explosions could be heard from the outside.

" _...looks like we really have a lot of catching up to do."_

Yeah...

"Grayfia, I'm counting on you to help Rias," Lucifer-san told the maid. So the maid's name is Grayfia-san, "Let's go, Serafall."

"Okay, Sirzechs-chan!"

The two Maous left. Not long after their departure, I heard screams coming from the Magicians outside...

I'm starting to pity the Khaos Brigade…

"Ariel," Michael-san began, but before he could continue, Kamael cut in.

"I have a task that I need her to fulfill. Worry not, Michael. Uriel and his legion will join you soon."

I could feel the barely contained hostility in Kamael's words towards Michael.

...Kamael doesn't like him too much, does he?

" _Understatement, kid."_

Michael-san seemed to be a bit surprised by Kamael's interruption but nodded with a resigned smile, "Understood. I'll leave it to you then."

Ariel-san chuckled a bit after Michael-san left the conference room. "Still as harsh as ever with Michael, eh?"

Kamael didn't answer her and instead took out a paper not unlike what Uzume-san gave me before. Is he contacting Uzume-san?

"Uriel, Michael is moving out towards the battlefield. Bring the Powers and join him."

"Got it," An easygoing voice replied from the paper.

" _Seems like they asked the Dawn Goddess for a means of communication. I'm guessing that she and the Voice of God is monitoring the situation from somewhere."_

"Barakiel, your daughter is currently being 'stopped' thanks to the effect of [Forbidden Balor View]."

"What?! Is Akeno safe?!"

"Do not worry. She is under Amaterasu-Omikami's protection. I need you to scout the area around this city. Khaos Brigade is using the magic circle above Kuoh Academy to launch their attack, but I highly doubt that this magic circle is their only means to attack us. There should be other routes they plan to use. Bring your legions and neutralize all of them."

"Understood. Kamael, I know that you do not like Devils, but please, protect my daughter."

With a sigh, Kamael answered, "...I will protect the daughter of an old friend, nothing more."

"Thank you."

That Barakiel guy is Himejima-senpai's dad?! Barakiel is the name of an Angel, right? No… I think Kokabiel looked at Himejima-senpai when he was talking about daughter of a Fallen Angel and a human…

So Himejima-senpai's father is a Fallen Angel...

"...Ajuka Beelzebub," Kamael spoke through the paper again, this time, his voice was emotionless. "Investigate the magic circle. Find out where their base is."

"Understood. By the way, you don't like me much, do you?" A calm voice asked Kamael after he stopped speaking. "How curious. I heard that you get along fine with Sirzechs and Serafall."

"What you are is none of my concern. However, I loathe the system you created."

"Huh," The voice that replied from the paper sounded as if he was amused by that answer.

"Gremory," Kamael turned his head towards Gremory-senpai, "Take your Peerage and rescue Gasper Valdi. I will ask Lord Metatron and Ame-no-Uzume to assist you. His location is your base, correct?" ...that's an unique way to call Occult Research Club Room.

Gremory-senpai nodded, "Yuuto, Xenovia, let's go," Behind Gremory-senpai's back, devil wings appeared and she rushed out of the conference room, Grayfia-san following behind her.

"Issei-kun, stay safe, alright?" Kiba told me as he followed senpai's lead.

"Issei, if you die, Asia will be sad, so try not to die," Don't worry, I don't plan to die, Xenovia.

After confirming that they have left, Kamael spoke through the paper again.

"Lord Metatron, Ame-no-Uzume. Please assist Rias Gremory in recovering Gasper Valdi, the wielder of [Forbidden Balor View]. His location is in the old school building, Occult Research Club Room."

"Leave it to us **de gozaru**!" "Understood."

"Human," Omikami-sama suddenly spoke towards me, "What will you do? Should you choose to stay here, as we have told the Leviathan, we shall protect you."

...the way she said that…

" _Looks like you're being tested, kid."_

Yeah. Omikami-sama is saying that she'll protect me if I choose not to fight. But…

"Kamael, I'll fight too."

...here's hoping I can survive and grow stronger with this, though.

"Issei…" Kamael seemed to be surprised by my words. He stared at me, as if searching for something, "...understood."

Suddenly, a magic circle appeared inside the room.

"Leviathan's magic circle…" Kamael's eyes narrowed as a figure appeared from the magic circle. Leviathan? As in Leviathan-san who left a while ago?

The one who appeared from the magic circle was not Leviathan-san, but a tan skinned lady with brown hair. She had glasses over her purple eyes and carried a staff in her hand. She looked like a magician in an RPG. ...with revealing dresses and all.

"It seems that the fake Leviathan is not here, how unfortunate," The woman spoke with haughty voice, "However, I suppose killing her sister would be even better."

She swung her staff and raised it high. The staff glew.

" _Careful, kid!"_

[Boost!]

I brought my hands up to guard myself as the room exploded.

…

Huh? It didn't hurt at all. I looked around and saw that around us were barriers of light created by Ariel-san.

"...Devil," Omikami-sama spoke coldly, "You dare attempt to harm those under our protection."

"Oh, is that so? Please pardon me then, princess," The woman replied to Omikami-sama's words with a smirk.

"We shall accept your apology. For you were unaware," Omikami-sama nodded, closing her eyes, "However, should you attempt to do so once more, we would be forced to intervene."

With a smirk, the lady pointed the staff towards Omikami-sama, "A mere Goddess is threatening this Katerea, the heiress of Leviathan? Within me runs the blood of the Primordial Beast of the Sea! You've picked the wrong side to support, princess! We, the Khaos Brigade shall destroy the fake Maous and their allies!"

The staff glew once more and seven magic circles appeared before the female Devil, torrents of energies in form of 'serpents' burst out from it, barrelling towards us.

Omikami-sama opened her eyes. Her golden eyes glowed as a black mirror appeared in front of us, and the energies Katerea Leviathan released were seemingly absorbed by that floating mirror.

"Yata no Kagami," Omikami-sama declared the name of one of the Imperial Regalia of Japan.

Undaunted, Katerea Leviathan raised her staff and more magic circles were formed, surrounding us.

"You might have an artifact that can guard against my magic, princess. But you won't be able to guard against attacks from many directions!"

"Devil, your head is held too high," Omikami-sama raised her right hand, pointing towards the sky.

"Die!"

The 'serpents' made of magical energy, were shot from the magic circles once more.

The Sun Goddess flicked her fingers. Mirrors were formed all around us, each of them absorbed the stream of energies released by the magic circle. There were more than one Yata no Kagami this time!

" _Most likely, the 'Yata no Kagami' we see are simply forms of her ability instead of the real artifact."_

Then, a green jewel appeared above Omikami-sama's raised hand. Another Imperial Regalia...

"Yasakani no Magatama," The jewel glew bright and was set ablaze.

"You should learn your place," Omikami-sama swung her arm downward as the burning jewel launched itself towards Katerea Leviathan not unlike a bullet, striking her gut and sending her flying towards the direction of the gym.

...strong…

" _Of course she is. She is the leader of her pantheon, after all."_

I know that, Ddraig. But… with how she usually acted, I didn't think she'll be that strong. The mirrors absorbed her enemies attacks and that magatama seemed like a weak projectile but a single hit from it blew that Leviathan lady away so far…

"She was holding back. As a Sun Deity, she could probably turn that small jewel into a miniature sun if given enough time."

Omikami-sama was probably trying to make sure we didn't get hurt from her attack. Since she gave her word to protect the people here.

"Ariel, pursue Katerea Leviathan. Slay her," Kamael gave his command without even a comment towards what just happened.

...slay her? That's…

" _She tried to kill you."_

That's true, but…

" _Besides, it's not as if you're the one who have to kill her. It's not going to involve you."_

That's not the problem here, Ddraig!

"Understood, can I bring the human along?" ...huh?

"...he has already agreed to join this battle. Do as you please. However, do not forget to give him Ascalon. It should be useful."

"Don't worry about that. Let's go then, Hyoudou Issei," Wait a sec, what?!

Ariel-san grabbed my hand and flew off without giving me a chance to refuse.

As I was dragged into the sky, the last thing I thought was…

Why me?!

" _Disregard what I said before. Looks like you'll be involved anyway."_

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

...so this is what flying feels like…

How to say this? It feels kind of fun, I thought as Ariel-san flew past the battleground.

As she was flying in high speed, I could only catch a few glimpses. But it seems that Michael-san and many other Angels are fighting against shadowy monsters.

Beyond the place where the Angels and the shadows were fighting, Lucifer-san and Leviathan-san were fighting against…

"Wait, aren't those Devils?!" I asked out loud. Why are the Devils fighting against their leaders?

"Quite observant, aren't you?" Ariel-san responded to my words, "To be more exact, those are rebels who are trying to replace the current Maous with the descendant of the original Maous."

Descendants of the original Maous?

"Like that Katerea lady who attacked us before? She called herself the heiress of Leviathan, right?"

"Yes. The current Lucifer calls those rebellious Devils, the Old Satan Faction. One of the factions of Khaos Brigade, led by the former Maous' descendants."

The Old Satan Faction…

"Since we'll be engaging the descendant of the original Leviathan in combat soon, I suppose I should explain a bit about the original Leviathan," Ariel-san spoke as she suddenly dived and flew closer to the ground, avoiding black arrows shot by a Devil in front of us.

"...how rude," Ariel-san pointed her finger towards the Devil, a spear of light formed beside her and flew towards the Devil.

The spear struck the Devil and it exploded, taking the Devil with it.

"Back to what I was saying," ...she didn't even react after killing that Devil… "In the past, there existed two Leviathans. One male, and one female. Back then, they were the Primordial Beasts of the Sea, not Devils."

"Not Devils? But Leviathan is the name of a Maou, right?"

"Let me finish, human," Ariel-san chastised me, "The existence of those Beasts caused humans a lot of trouble. They do not dare to sail to the sea in fear of the two Beasts' wrath. People plead to God. They begged him to save them from the Beasts."

"Thus," The Angel sounded proud as she continued her words, "God killed the male Leviathan, breaking its head to pieces. Then, God promised that the female Leviathan would be slain and her flesh be served as part of the banquet to the righteous."

My face paled. Even if the Leviathans were supposed to be beasts, since Leviathan-san and that Katerea lady seemed like humans. Eating their flesh sounds wrong…

"However," Ariel-san's voice was filled with annoyance as she spoke, "The female Leviathan refused to accept God's judgement and swore vengeance on God. She banded together with a certain Fallen Angel who rebelled against God. They, and their fellow rebels are what you know as 'Devils'."

...huh?

"It doesn't seem that you understand. Well... I suppose that is because you haven't seen many Devils. Putting it bluntly, a 'Devil' is what we call those who rebel against God. If you compare two Devils, they can be as different as night and day. Belial, for an example, was a Devil who controlled fire and the capability to 'nullify' other beings' abilities. And then, you have the Bael who possess the power to 'destroy'."

Well… I don't know who they are but… I understand, I think. "So… the Devils aren't a part of single race?"

"They aren't. They are part of a single faction. But unlike Angels and Fallen Angels, they are more of an 'alliance' of clans, so to speak. In fact, several Devil clans are offshoots of pagan Deities' descendants. Such as the Beelzebub and Bael being descendants of the Deity known as Baal."

"Anyway," Ariel-san began to slow down, "We should be nearing the Leviathan soon. Explaining about the Devils took more time than I thought. So I'll just tell you important information about her abilities."

"The Leviathan, as her title as the Primordial Beast of the Sea would suggest, possess the power over water. Though, I doubt she would use it."

Without waiting for my reply, she continued, "While the original Leviathan was said to be able to flood a whole army with her power, I doubt this descendant can do the same. Besides, against two enemies, it'll simply be a waste of magic for her to try to do so. Therefore, the threat should simply be her magical attacks, which seem to take form of sea serpents."

...sea serpents? "Weren't those dragons?"

She opened her mouth to answer me but she seemed to realize that the gym was right in front of us. Ariel-san dropped me on the ground and landed beside me.

"In legends, there are beings who are called Dragons, but possess the characteristics of Serpents, and the other way around. In this world, speaking from the perspective of their roles in different pantheons, I don't believe there is any difference between a Serpent and a Dragon. The Midgard Serpent, for an example, is considered to be a Dragon King. Well… that aside, the original Leviathan possess the traits of many beasts of the sea, including a sea serpent."

" _That girl is right. There are creatures, such as Yamata-no-Orochi, that was said to be Serpents but are also considered as Dragons. Another example would be Vritra, but in that guy's case, he is an Asura that is depicted as a Dragon."_

Vritra would be Genshiro's Sacred Gear, right? ...what's an Asura?

" _A kind of creature in Hindu pantheon. Not something you should be concerned about for now."_

Then, Ariel-san held her hand out towards me and spheres of light gathered above her palm. The lights formed the shape of a sword.

"That is why Kamael said to give you this," The lights scattered, revealing a…

 _Dangerous! It'll kill us! Destroy it! Destroy it!_

I held down the urge to follow their 'urging'.

The voices I heard were the same ones that would urge me to kill. But this time, they sounded… scared.

" _...yeah, of course_ they _would be. I doubt_ they _are prepared to see something like that."_

...they? Who are you talking about, Ddra-

 _No, Ddraig's words are not important._

What is important is learning more about this threat to my, _to our_ existence.

"This, is Ascalon," Ariel-san declared the sword's name, "The Dragonslaying Blade possessed by Saint George."

A… Dragonslayer…

"Giving you, a human wielding the power of Dragon, a Dragonslayer… as expected from Kamael. He is truly fascinating," The Angel had an amused smile as she moved her hand, causing the sword to come closer towards me.

I watched the sword warily. I could feel _the voices from the [Boosted Gear]_ urging me to get rid of that sword.

"Take it. It will be useful in your fight against the Leviathan. As the original Leviathan possess the traits of a Serpent, a Dragonslayer would also be effective against her descendant. Though, I would say that its blade would be sharper when pointed towards you than to the Leviathan."

 _Don't!_

" _So, are you going to listen to_ their _voices, kid?"_

...Ariel-san said that Kamael wanted me to have it.

 _No!_

I trust him. I replied to Ddraig _and the voices_ as I grabbed the sword's hilt.

 _N-_

The moment I did so, the voices were silenced and I felt as if something that had been trying to influence me seemed to disappear. Replacing those were feelings of someone protecting me.

" _...huh, didn't expect the Dragonslayer to do that. Interesting..."_

"...it seems that the sword likes you," Ariel-san commented as the sword seemed to slightly vibrate in my grasp, "Use it well, human."

I nodded.

* * *

 **Kamael POV**

"...the [Annihilation Maker]…"

The reports I received from Uriel is troubling. The wielder of the Longinus, [Annihilation Maker] is sending their creations to attack us. And it would seem that the wielder is someone skilled enough to create monsters capable of resisting light-based attacks.

"Uriel, lure them towards the Devils' battleground. Sirzechs Lucifer should be able to destroy them. Exchange positions with the Devils. You and Michael should be able to handle the descendants of Satans."

"Got it," Uriel replied through the charm that Amaterasu-Omikami had supplied for us.

Unless the wielder of the Annihilation Maker is capable of achieving Balance Breaker, Sirzechs Lucifer's Power of Destruction would be enough.

...no, even if the Annihilation Maker created creatures capable of destroying lesser Gods… It would be nothing but a simple distraction for Sirzechs Gremory, the _monster_ who devastated my legion.

"Kamael."

"...what is it, Barakiel?"

"I am currently engaging an… 'unique' group of enemies," Unique?

"Who are they?" They must be quite strange indeed to vex a member of Grigori.

"A monkey from Mount Huaguo, a nekomata, a witch, and…" I could already feel a headache forming as I listened to Barakiel. Even simply from what he said, I could already imagine how annoying a battle against them would be. A group filled with tricksters and magic users...

"...Arthur Pendragon."

Arthur Pendragon…the genius swordsman and former heir of the Noble House of the Pendragon. The traitor who stole the Sword in the Stone from his own House. To think that he would join Khaos Brigade…

"It's not just that," I narrowed my eyes hearing Barakiel's words, "Arthur Pendragon is wielding the Excalibur Ruler."

Out of all swords…

"Fall back, Barakiel. Should your legion fall prey to the blade's magic, it would only complicate matters," The Excalibur Ruler's ability to control others grew stronger as time passes. Therefore… "Take your legion back to the Grigori. Have Armaros and Penemue examine each of you for any influence from the Holy Sword. They should be able to purge it."

"...understood," I understand that you are frustrated, old friend. Fortunately, it seems that you understand what must be done.

I would need a substitute for Barakiel, a substitute who would be able to face Excalibur Ruler without falling to its thrall. Someone with will so powerful that not even the Once and Future King could force them to bow.

...how strange, why am I thinking of your visage at a time like this, O Morning Star?

No, there were none who could face the Excalibur Ruler with certainty among our reserve troops. I would rather not risk having one of us turning traitor because of that blade's magic. It would seem that this group is working to protect the magic circles outside the Academy. If we leave them alone, they should eventually join the battlefield on their own. The moment they appeared in the Academy, subduing them should be a simple matter.

Still… not only the Annihilation Maker, but the Excalibur Ruler as well…

The Khaos Brigade is a greater threat than I expected. To think that I assumed that the only threat was the Ouroboros and the Longinus wielders… It seems that I must consider them a greater threat than I initially assessed.

...should I approach other pantheons for assistance?

I was snapped out of my thoughts when a voice came from the communication charm, "I have determined the location of their base, Chief of Powers."

...Ajuka Beelzebub, one of the Devils I loathe the most. The creator of the Evil Pieces system.

No, as Yuuto Kiba has shown, it would seem that the Evil Pieces did not rob the reincarnated Devils of their humanity. ...not completely, at the very least.

A conflict with the current Beelzebub would create weakness within our alliance.

"...good work," I replied to the Beelzebub, "Where is it?"

Ajuka Beelzebub was silent for a moment. Then he informed me of the whereabouts of Khaos Brigade's base.

"How troublesome…" For it to be in a location such as that… "It seems that we will not be able to launch an assault any time soon. Ajuka Beelzebub, as you might have heard from Uriel, the wielder of [Annihilation Maker] is our enemy. Find them."

"And then?"

A foolish question. Should the wielder of Annihilation Maker chose to support the Khaos Brigade, it would mean that they are _evil_.

"Eliminate them."

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

[Boost!]

I swung Ascalon, cutting Katerea Leviathan's 'serpent' that was sent towards me.

"So impatient, Devil," Ariel-san spoke as torrents of magical energies clashed against her barrier. "We haven't even introduced ourselves, yet."

"Shut up!" The Devil growled, her body was covered in wounds and unlike when she first attacked us, there was no trace of composure in her. "I have no time for the likes of you! Where is that white-haired brat?!"

Ariel-san frowned, "I feel… insulted," The Angel flicked her wrist. A light spear forming behind her.

At the same time, a magic circle larger than others appeared behind Katerea Leviathan.

Without a single word, both of them released their attack. The spear of light and the massive 'serpent' of darkness propelling towards each other.

The spear tore the 'serpent' apart and Katerea Leviathan's right arm was separated from her body. the light spear pinning it on the wall of the building.

"You…! Damned Angel!" In front of the descendant of Leviathan, more magic circles formed. "Die!" 'serpents' made of magical energies charged towards us once again.

"...Ariel-san, are you sure we should be making her angrier?" I questioned the Angel, deflecting more 'serpents' sent by the rampaging Devil.

Ariel-san answered with a smile as multiple barriers blocked the 'serpents', "The angrier they are, the easier it'll be to defeat them. Furthermore, angering the so-called 'nobles' of Devils is quite amusing. They are filled to the brim with pride after all." She swung her army as another barrage of serpents charged toward us.

A wall of light appeared between us and the serpents. Ariel-san continued her words, still with a smile, "Which is interesting. Considering that you humans attributed the sin of envy to the Leviathan, not pride."

Not discouraged, or perhaps, not caring at the fact that her attacks failed to hit us, Katerea Leviathan fired another barrage of attacks. Each time, far more numerous and stronger than the ones before.

[Boost!]

With my abilities boosted, my swings became faster and stronger, allowing me to cut down more of her 'serpents'. This… might be a good training...

" _I'm sure that you'll be dead if you try to fight her alone."_

Yeah, you're right. Honestly, I failed to deflect a lot of Katerea Leviathan's attacks, but every time a 'serpent' was about to hit me, Ariel-san's barrier deflected it. If it wasn't for her, I would be dead already.

Suddenly, one of the 'serpent' broke through Ariel-san's barrier, flying towards her.

"Ariel-san!"

With a sigh, the Angel created a light spear. Swinging it lazily, she destroyed the 'serpent'. "...this is boring. Is that all you've got, descendant of Primordial Beast?"

The guttural growl that came from the Devil was… inhuman. No, in fact, it would not be out of place coming from a beast.

"I am disappointed," Ariel-san raised the light spear over her shoulder, "You're not even strong enough to be a test."

A test?

Ariel-san swung her arm, throwing the spear of light towards the motionless Devil.

With that, it should be-

The spear disintegrated moments before making contact with Katerea Leviathan.

What?

"...Angel," The Heiress of Leviathan spoke with a sneer, "I was planning to save this for the fake Maous. However, your attitude have tried my patience."

Katerea Leviathan threw an empty bottle away as ominous aura covered her body.

"The Ouroboros…" Ariel-san's eyes narrowed as light spears appeared around her. The Angel launched the light spears towards our opponent.

"Fool!" From the body of Katerea Leviathan, aura of darkness exploded, destroying the spears that was sent to kill her. "With the power granted by Ophis, I am invincible!"

Ophis…

Even though it was the first time I heard that name, it sent chills down my spine. The Devil's aura was completely different from the one before. Her whole presence seemed to be overwritten by the aura she gave off.

" _The Ouroboros Dragon… I didn't think it would be involved in this mess…"_

Ddraig, you know who she was talking about?

" _The Embodiment of Cycles, the Tail Devouring Snake. There are many names you can call it. It is the being who reigned over the top of the strongest of the world. In fact, it is so fearsome that Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels began calling it, Ophis, the Serpent. The being who was said to fight against the Biblical God in the End of the World."_

" _Among all of its names, the name that would fit it the best is… The Infinite."_

Ophis, the Infinite… The Strongest Being...

Someone like that is our enemy? Can we win against the strongest being in the world?

"Be vigilant, human!"

Ariel-san's shout snapped me out of my thoughts.

A giant 'serpent' is approaching me! Larger than any others that Katerea Leviathan created before.

[Boost!]

Swinging the Dragonslayer, I cut the 'serpent' into two. But behind it, I saw more and more 'serpents'.

"Uwoo!" With a shout, I kept on swinging Ascalon. Cutting as many of them as I can. Away from me, I can see Ariel-san summoning spears and barriers without stopping, both of us struggling against this onslaught.

Left. Front. Right. Right again? No, there are two coming from above.

I leapt to the sky, cutting the two 'serpents'. Following my movement, the other 'serpents' flew upwards. Aiming towards me who began to fall.

Damn it! I won't be able to guard against them!

Ascalon glowed and I saw a 'memory' of a man wearing knight-like armor fighting against a Dragon.

This is… Alright!

[Transfer!]

I transferred the boost I received to Ascalon and swung it.

A wave of light cut through the 'serpents', allowing me to land safely. Still, there were more of the 'serpents' surrounding me.

Not done yet!

[Boost!]

I spun my body, creating a wave of light using Ascalon in circular form. The waves of light obliterated the 'serpents' surrounding me.

"Not bad, human," Ariel-san commented as she flew towards my side.

"...is that all of it?" Ascalon stopped glowing, it seems that the energy I transferred to it ran out already.

"Not even close," With a smile, Ariel-san pointed towards the place where Katerea Leviathan stood.

The Devil's body was covered with darkness, only her glowing red eyes remained visible. Hundreds of magic circles floating around her.

Damn it…

"Make no mistake, human. A fraction of the Infinite is still an Infinite. This will be a long battle."

The 'serpents' emerged from the magic circle once more.

* * *

 **Kamael POV**

"...Ame-no-Uzume, why is it that the [Forbidden Balor View] remains?" With her and Lord Metatron's assistance, it should not take this long for Rias Gremory to retrieve Gasper Valdi.

…

How strange, why would she be silent?

"Lord Metatron, please respond."

…

No response.

"...Amaterasu-Omikami, I shall head out as well," I turned my stare towards Barakiel's daughter. As he once told me proudly, she really does resemble her mother... "...take care of them."

The Sun Goddess gave me a small nod, "We shall allow it. Worry not, these ones are under our protection."

I manifested my wings and launched myself to the sky. It should take me only a few minutes to reach the old school building with the battlefield in this condition.

...that is… Azazel engaging Vali Lucifer in combat?

I considered assisting Azazel but decided against it. As I am now, I would simply be a burden to Azazel.

As I flew past them, our eyes met. Azazel nodded slightly with a smirk.

...I see, so that is how it is…

What a troublesome Heavenly Dragon…

Then, I heard Azazel's words, "Balance Break."

He… actually succeeded?

Azazel actually managed to create a perfect Artificial Sacred Gear?

I stopped my flight for a moment, gazing at the place where Azazel was floating.

Golden sphere covered his form. This aura is… the Gigantis Dragon… So Azazel was the one who hid Fafnir…

The sphere exploded, revealing a figure clad in golden and black armor. Wings of Fallen Angels on his back and a spear of light in his hand.

"Downfall Dragon, Another Armor!" Purple orbs shone ominously following Azazel's declaration. Your naming sense has not changed a bit, I see...

"Shall we begin, Vali!"

"As I thought, fighting you is fun, Azazel!"

The two beings clad in Dragon armors met each other in battle.

Regardless of the fact that this is a true battlefield, that pair of parent and child is as foolish as eve-

…

A surge of energy came from the other side of the academy. That would be… Issei and Ariel's location.

"The Ouroboros?" No, it is incomparably weaker. Azazel claimed that the Infinite would not be involving itself in our battle. Then… a Divine Blessing?

...I am anxious about Issei and Ariel's safety. However…

"Termination of [Forbidden Balor View] is the main priority."

I turned my back on the battling 'Dragons' and continued to move towards Occult Research Club Room.

After a short flight, I saw the old school building. Lord Metatron and Ame-no-Uzume battling against 'something'. As I moved to assist them, streams of flame cut off my path.

"...Magicians…" The casters were now surrounding me.

Magic circles appeared in front of them, Myrddin Wyllt's formula written all over it.

I opened my palm and traced a formula on the air. As with many other beings in our world, I am capable of casting magic. However, what I traced was not something as grand as a 'spell'.

The magic circles in front of the Magicians disappeared, so did their floating spell.

"Merlin Ambrosius' magic cannot harm me." After all, we were comrades who hunted the Serpent together.

I returned my attention towards the 'enemy' that Lord Metatron and Ame-no-Uzume were fighting.

"...I see…" That would explain why they did not respond. No, they could not respond.

At the same time, I understood why I did not realize what was happening. The enemy they fought did not possess large energy signature, nor did he possess any magical tools that I would detect as an 'enemy'.

A man of far east, wearing clothes that seemed to be a mix of this land and the land of the Jade Emperor. The man wielded a spear as if it was the extension of his body. ...a very familiar spear that called out to Angels such as I.

"...the wielder of Lancea Longini…"

The human wielded the God-Killing Spear, the True Longinus in his hands.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

I gasped for breath as Ariel-san and I annihilated another wave of 'serpents'.

"What's wrong, Angel?" ...you know lady, it's starting to annoy me that you ignore me all the time, "Tired already? What happened to your arrogance?"

Ariel-san still had a smile on her face as she spun the light spears she held in her hands, "It has to be something of this level or it won't make a good trial, Devil."

...first a test, now she is calling this battle a trial. What does she mean by that?

" _Ignore that for now, kid. If this battle continues as it is, it'll end in our defeat."_

I know that, Ddraig!

" _Then plan. Is your training with the Voice of God a waste?"_

Easier said than done… If we can get close to that Devil, I think we can defeat her.

If Ariel-san provides cover fire and barriers while I rushed in to attack Katerea Leviathan, I think I can deal her some damage. But...

" _That is not enough. You have to incapacitate her. Mere wounds will not stop someone empowered by the Ouroboros. Not only that, with Ouroboros' enchantment, breaking through her guard will not be easy."_

...we have to kill her, is that what you mean?

" _Otherwise, can you survive?"_

…

"Ariel-san, I have a plan," I whispered to the Angel.

Her smile grew, "Speak, human. This should be amusing."

I saw Katerea Leviathan's magic circle began to glow. I quickly explained my plan to Ariel-san, my grip on Ascalon tightened.

The plan is stupid. To be honest, if it fails, I'll probably die. But… it's the best I could come up with. I'm not like Kamael or Metatron-sensei who have a lot of techniques and ideas.

The tools I have are Boosted Gear, Ascalon, and the gift that Azazel-san gave to me.

"Let's try it."

Hearing Ariel-san's assent, I nodded.

I took a deep breath. This is it...

Come on… you can do this, Hyoudou…

Remember the first time you fought. You're not the same idiot who would swing his fist around. You're an idiot with a sword now.

...wait, isn't that more dangerous?

" _...yeah, you're an idiot."_

[Boost!]

" _But, that is why it's fun."_

Yeah, Ddraig.

Here I go!

"Oi, RPG Magician reject!" I shouted at the Devil.

She ignored me.

" _...have you considered that she might not know what an RPG is?"_

...oh yeah...

Then… what would get her attention. Wait, that's right!

"Hey! Fake Leviathan!"

 _That_ got her reacting. I could see her eyes twitch, visibly trying to restrain her anger.

"...human. You are of no consequence and I had considered killing you quickly without making you suffer…"

Her eye glowed, "But you dare insult my pedigree. Not even a thousand deaths can placate my wrath!"

An opening! "Do you hear yourself talk, lady? Who said things like 'placate my wrath' these days? You've been talking about your ancestor but… Not only that you're a grandma girl, you are a grandma yourself, aren't you? Maybe your old bones aren't good enough to keep up with Serafall-san, that's why they picked her over you?"

"HUMAN! HOW DARE YOU INSULT YOUR SUPERIOR!" Bullseye! "DO YOU REALIZE WHO I AM?! I AM KATEREA LEVIATHAN!"

"Yeah, and? I'm Hyoudou Issei, as you said, a human!" I pointed my finger at the raging Devil.

[Boost!]

I smirked, feeling the [Boosted Gear]'s power becoming stronger, "And don't you worry. _I'll reach you soon enough._ "

"DIE, INSECT!" All of her 'serpents' charged, moving towards me.

Not an insect, but a Dragon!

I rushed and greeted the first 'serpent' with a swing of Ascalon.

"That's one!"

I spun my body, avoiding a 'serpent' which was instantly vaporized by a light spear once it passed through me.

"Come on!" I cut another one. The next one already moving to 'bite' me. A barrier of light formed between the 'serpent' and I.

I stabbed the 'beast'. "Next!"

I continued to cut them down, moving closer towards Katerea Leviathan as I did so.

The 'serpents' were numerous, in fact, I felt as if they were endless. As I grew closer, they became more frequent and their speed increased further.

[Boost!]

Barriers met the 'serpents', I cut them down.

A spear stabbed the 'serpent' as I sliced another to pieces.

I swung Ascalon and cut three 'serpents' at once, at the same time, light spears killed the 'serpents' trying to attack me from the sides.

Then, I felt it. Just one more Boost…

I roared, swinging Ascalon ferociously, cutting down the 'serpents' as I maintained my momentum.

Just 3 more seconds!

A 'serpent' managed to get through the light barrier. Without hesitation, I swung my left hand and punched it.

My left hand glowed red and the 'serpent' exploded.

1 second!

I crouched down as a spear of light, larger than any others flew over my head, piercing the 'serpents' blocking my path and revealed Katerea Leviathan's form.

Now!

[Explosion!]

A burst power filled my body as I leapt, Ascalon raised high.

"HUMAN!" With an angry roar, Katerea Leviathan brought up her arms and caught my swing. "THIS IS THE END!"

As her hands gripped Ascalon, preventing me from moving, more 'serpents' emerged from the magic circles around her, intent on killing me.

"Didn't I tell you?" I asked her with a smirk, "I'll reach you soon enough."

Using my free arm, my left hand, I swung my fist towards her.

[Blazer!]

The Light and Darkness Blade, Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade burst out from the [Boosted Gear], stabbing one Katerea Leviathan's eye. The Sword that possessed both Holy and Demonic properties burned her right eye, causing her to scream out in pain.

Caught in the heat of battle, I spoke as I saw her expression of disbelief and despair.

"See? _I reached you._ "

"It… can't be…" The Devil released her hold over Ascalon and the magic circles around her dissipated along with all the serpents. She stumbled as black miasma flowed from her damaged eye, "I… lost? Against a human?"

Yes! Now I only need to knock her ou-

"UNACCEPTABLE!" The Devil's sole remaining eye glowed once more. Her defeated expression was now filled with rage. Her hands broke apart into hundreds smaller hands that grabbed my body. "UNFORGIVABLE!"

On Katerea Leviathan's body, purple lines appeared.

" _A self destruct spell!"_

Damn it! I can't break free!

"DIE, HUMA-!"

"Die on your own, Devil," Ariel-san's voice cut off her words as my body was engulfed by a barrier of light, releasing me from the hands' grasps. Ariel-san landed with her back facing me, "This human passed the test. There is worth in keeping him alive."

Then the Angel raised her right hand. Spheres of light floating around her fingers, "Unlike you."

Barriers appeared, covering Katerea Leviathan's body, including the numerous writhing arms.

"DAMN YOUUU!"

The Devil exploded within the barrier, accomplishing nothing but sacrificing her own life.

"...we won…"

[Reset!]

...it was a victory, but… Katerea Leviathan died…

I'm still not strong enough… Kamael managed to defeat Kokabiel without killing the Fallen Angel because he is strong.

Stronger… Strong enough that I can beat my enemies without having to kill them…

"Excellent job, Sekiryuutei," I felt Ariel-san's hand on top of my head, "Since you passed magnificently, I'll convince Seraphiel and the rest to allow Kamael to stay with you for a while."

Huh? Before I could react to her words, I hear something crack.

As far as I could see, nothing changed, but I knew that something happened.

" _Looks like the effect of the [Forbidden Balor View] has been dispelled."_

Gremory-senpai's group did it!

"Finally," Ariel-san took her hand off my head, "With this, the Khaos Brigade should be in disarray."

"What should we do now?" I asked her. Are we going to fight again?

The Angel seemed to be considering something. "...no, let's return to the Conference Room. Kamael only told us to slay the Descendant of Leviathan, nothing more."

I nodded to her words, then we made our way back to the Conference Room.

* * *

 **Kamael POV**

"...well, _hero_? It would seem that our battle is about to reach an end," I spoke to the wielder of Lancea Longini who stood in front of me. The Forbidden Balor View was dispelled, and our army moved to exterminate the members of the Khaos Brigade.

"It seems so," The self-proclaimed _hero_ , Cao Cao shrugged as he swung and placed the True Longinus on his shoulder. "I guess it's time for me to fall back."

"Do you believe we will allow you to escape?" The charms in Ame-no-Uzume hands glowed as she prepared their activation.

"You can try, but I doubt you can stop me," As Cao Cao spoke, his figure grew hazy.

...this mist… the [Dimension Lost]. The Sacred Gear capable of creating mist that could open the path from this world into the Dimensional Gap. Attacking him without determining the location of the wielder of [Dimension Lost] would be meaningless.

"... **I see** , de gozaru. The **[Dimension Lost]** user is observing this **battle** , de gozaru ne."

"It was a good fight, Angels and Goddess. I'll look forward our next encounter," As the hero's body was completely covered in the mist created by the [Dimension Lost], his presence disappeared.

He was an… _interesting_ foe. As a human, a single hit from us would spell the end of this battle, and yet, he was skilled enough to avoid our attacks and held us off for a while.

...no, I supposed that there were other reasons for that.

Ame-no-Uzume's abilities were ill-suited for a direct battle such as that, especially since any hit caused by the Godslaying Spear would be fatal for her. It was impossible for her to complete a Kagura safely.

Lord Metatron was holding back. His movements and attacks were read too easily. However... why would he do that?

Nonetheless, he was, without a doubt, one of the most skilled human in this era. Cao Cao, was it not? Wielding that lance, he would be quite a threat.

"I shall return to the Conference Room. Lord Metatron, Ame-no-Uzume, would you both like to join me?"

" **I'll pass** , de gozaru. There is something I want to **check** , de gozaru." Something that Lord Metatron would like to check? No, it is none of my business.

"I shall join you," Ame-no-Uzume's charms disappeared as she walked towards me.

Ame-no-Uzume and I flew towards the Conference room as Lord Metatron moved separately from us.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

When I returned to the Conference Room, I saw Kamael standing a bit farther away from Omikami-sama who was conversing with Uzume-san and miko-san. Uzume-san was with Metatron-sensei, right?

...Gremory-senpai were talking with Sitri-senpai and Shinra-senpai who were freed from the time stop effect. Himejima-senpai seemed to be talking with Kiba.

Huh? Weren't they supposed to save that Gasper guy and Toujou-chan? Still… since the Forbidden Balor View's effect disappeared, they should have succeeded, right? Oh well…

I didn't see the leaders, but I guess since they were the strongest, they should be fine.

"Kamael, we've defeated the Descendant of Leviathan," Ariel-san reported to Kamael as we made our way towards him.

"Is that so," Kamael nodded towards us, "Excellent work, Ariel, Issei."

"Yeah, couldn't have done it without Ariel-san's help and Ascalon," I brought up the sword as I spoke.

...now that I think about it, this sword not only helped me to fight Katerea Leviathan, but also calmed down the voices somehow.

" _Yeah, it did."_

Ddraig, you know something?

" _...I'll tell you later. With the sword around, it should be safe for you to learn about it."_

Such misfortune… I felt like Kamijou-san from A Certain Light Novel Series… It seems that I am going to learn about something crazy again…

"Human," I turned towards Omikami-sama who called out to me, "We have achieved our goal and would like to return. We shall allow you to guide us to your house."

...why?

"Of course, it is to give our thanks to the girl who guided us along with you, human." Huh?

"How did you know what I was thinking, Omikami-sama?!" Did she get a psychic ability when I wasn't here?! Dangerous!

"It is written on your face, human," Omikami-sama answered my question with a bored expression. "Now, move. The Sun waits for no one."

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

Left with no option to refuse, I escorted her and miko-san to my house. On the way, I realized that carrying a sword around would just cause more problems and asked Ddraig for a solution.

Ddraig told me to put the Ascalon on top of the jewel of the [Boosted Gear], when I did so, the [Boosted Gear] 'absorbed' the Ascalon. According to Ddraig, it was similar to how the [Boosted Gear] absorbed the Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade, and that I could call it back anytime I wanted.

After that, since my house wasn't too far from the Academy, we reached it after a short walk. Outside of my home was Asia, anxiously looking around. When she saw me, her face was filled with relief.

"Ise-san, welcome back!" She greeted me with a smile.

"I'm back, Asia," I replied to her. ...how to say this, after what happened today, seeing Asia like this really relieved me.

But why did she look so anxious before?

Before I could ask her, Omikami-sama spoke.

"Human," ...since she looked at Asia as she said that, I assume Omikami-sama was talking to Asia, "We thank you for your assistance yesterday." Behind her, miko-san bowed towards Asia.

Asia grew flustered, "No, it was my pleasure!"

Omikami-sama nodded, then she turned towards me and nodded once more. "Let us return, our priestess. We have done our duties."

With a flash of light, the two of them disappeared. Leaving Asia and I in front of my house, looking confused.

...what just happened?

After the whole battle with the Devil and that terrorist organization, I half-expected to be dragged into something troublesome again.

Oh well… I should be glad that nothing like that happened.

For now, I guess I should talk to Ddraig...

* * *

 **Kamael POV**

"...unexpectedly, it does not seem that the Khaos Brigade plan to attack Issei. Though these two humans following them are quite suspicious…"

I spoke as Ariel and I flew over Issei's house. As we had suspected, the Khaos Brigade sent someone to follow Issei, no doubt because of the [Boosted Gear]. Fortunately, Amaterasu-Omikami had the foresight to escort Issei to his house, preventing them from approaching him.

Yet, the two who followed him were certainly not Magicians, nor were they Devils.

"Aren't they like the guy that you fought, Kamael? A Sacred Gear wielder?" Ariel posed a question to me.

"Perhaps…" Humans who chose to join the Khaos Brigade...

For now, I should remain around Issei and observe them. Still… I did not expect Issei to voice his intention to join the battle today.

"...how interesting…" I spoke out loud. Hearing my words, one of Ariel's eyebrow rose.

"That human? He is quite powerful for a human, I'll give you that. Still…"

...of course. Ariel was the same as the others. One of those who dismissed humanity's potential. I did not respond to her words, a debate between us would not change anything and it would be meaningless.

Then, let us move on to what we have learned from today's skirmish.

The battle today ended in our victory. Not only that we managed to repel the Khaos Brigade, we have revealed their existence to the world by having Amaterasu-Omikami joining the Conference. Ensuring that no other pantheons could not feign ignorance of the Khaos Brigade's existence.

...though, I doubt it would be useful. Most likely, only that Hoárr and the King of Olympus would assist us. No, then again, perhaps the Devaraja and the Heroes would intervene.

Heroes… I recalled the young man wielding the spear that once stabbed Yeshua, the Lancea Longini, [True Longinus]. Putting aside any abilities the spear supposedly had, Father had infused that spear with His Will and several abilities.

The young man called himself a Hero, that would rile some of the Ancient Heroes up, probably enough that they would join the battle…

No, it is too early to tell… For now, I should focus on other information concerning Khaos Brigade.

The [Annihilation Maker] managed to elude Ajuka Beelzebub, allowing that Sacred Gear to be possessed by the Khaos Brigade would be dangerous. I should order some of the Powers to find information concerning the current wielder. And should it be possible, search for any leads concerning Cao Cao.

Arthur Pendragon and that strange group was another threat. Unfortunately, the Pendragon family had been distancing themselves from our faction because of conflicts over the Excalibur fragments. Thus, I doubt gathering information for them would be possible.

Since their group include a monkey from _that_ mountain, should I ask the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, instead? No, not possible. Last I heard, he was acting under the command of the Devaraja Indra.

...I suppose I should ignore them for now. I would rather not be involved with _that_ Devaraja.

Next would be… Vali Lucifer. ...no, he is Azazel's responsibility. I should not involve myself with them.

Lastly, the fact that the Infinite could share Divine Blessing to the Khaos Brigade members. We were fortunate that the descendant of Leviathan did not share her ancestor's capabilities and was easily terminated. However, the fact that it gave its power to other is… alarming.

...should I contact some Dragonslayers? While it is impossible to kill the Infinite, cutting off its Blessing should be possible if done correctly…

No, having Dragonslayers near Issei is a disaster waiting to happen.

Which meant… aside from gathering information, there was nothing I can do. How annoying… If only I still have access to the Sephiroth...

...there is no use in wasting my time thinking about that. For now, I should be satisfied with the intelligence that I have gained of the Khaos Brigade's members.

In addition, I was able to see Issei's growth. To think that he would voluntarily join the battle and, according to the report given by Ariel, fought quite ferociously against the descendant of Leviathan.

Using the power of the Red Dragon Emperor on the Ascalon, empowering the Light that was imbued within the sword and unleashing it as a wave of energy. Not only that, during the climax of the battle, Ariel claimed that Issei covered his fist with the [Boosted Gear]'s draconic energy and used it to clash his own fist against the enemy's attack.

Whatever caused his change, it certainly helped him. It seemed that he was acting mostly on intuition and perhaps, the guidance of the Red Dragon Emperor. Either way, it was an impressive growth.

Yet… there was something that puzzled me. Issei seemed to be far calmer today. Usually he would had an exhausted expression after a battle. Could that be one of the reason of his quick growth in this battle?

Was it the effect of his change? Or…

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

I opened my eyes to see a wasteland.

"...huh?"

The sky was pitch black. There was nothing there, no moon or stars. Yet, I could see the 'shadows' around me.

Then… I heard voices. A cry, a groan, a moan. Voices filled with despair and resignation.

 _It begins…_

A voice spoke… _At first, it was just a small tremor._

 _It's starting again…_

Another one. _The ground shook slightly as_ they _continued their words._

 _It never changes…_

What? What are these voices? _The shaking grew stronger with each word_ they _uttered._

 _It always remains the same…_

Who?! _My voice was drowned by the quaking of the land._

"Kid, draw the Dragonslayer."

Ddraig's voice boomed across the wasteland. ...wait, boomed across the wasteland?

 _The one the World seeks…_

"What are you waiting for, draw your sword! Quick!"

 _The one the World rejects…_

I looked at my left hand but failed to find the [Boosted Gear]. Still… I _knew_ what I had to do.

I willed the Ascalon to appear and it did, manifesting in front of me and as it did so, emitted a light that blew away the dark sky.

The voices disappeared, just like the first time I held Ascalon…

However, I could see who the voices were. The light that Ascalon gave out showed me their forms.

"Kid, welcome to the world inside the [Boosted Gear]," Ddraig's voice called out to me throughout the 'world'. Of course Ddraig's voice would reverberate here. This place was his 'home'.

Man, woman, a child, an elder. Various 'shadows' stood around the wasteland. Their visages that were hidden by the darkness were revealed.

"And they… are the source of your 'urges'. The voices that encouraged you to kill every time you fought..."

Humans, no, not just any humans. On their arms were familiar red gauntlets.

The [Boosted Gear].

"...the past wielders of the [Boosted Gear]. The [Voices of the Juggernaut]."


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD.**

 **Warning, this story contains religious and mythological elements. The author does not mean any disrespect to the mentioned religious views.**

 **Thanks to Wrathie Winsre for the cover image!  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

 **To the Underworld!**

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

"Impossible! I… by a human!"

I stared at the sight of a woman, no, a Stray Devil writhing in front of me. Blood flowed out from the wound in her stomach. A wound that I caused using the Light and Darkness Blade.

A month had passed since Khaos Brigade attacked Kuoh Academy. After my talk with Ddraig inside the Boosted Gear, I learned that as long as I had Ascalon with me, the _voices_ couldn't influence me, which helped my concentration a lot during battle.

Since then, I've been training with Metatron-sensei, Kiba, and Xenovia. And at the same time, I continued my 'side job' of helping Gremory-senpai with the Stray Devils' hunt.

It seemed that after Khaos Brigade made an appearance, the number of Stray Devils had risen drastically, causing Gremory-senpai to send members of Occult Research Club to exterminate them.

The Stray Devil coughed up blood as she muttered curses.

...did I miss? I was trying to defeat her without dealing a critical wound but… From the corner of my eye, I saw Xenovia moving towards the Stray Devil.

I looked at the Stray Devil, someone whose name I didn't even know. Someone who I used as a stepping stone for my training.

"Sorry…" I muttered an apology as Xenovia stabbed her head, ending her life.

I turned around and began to walk away. No matter how many times I did this, I would feel a bit nauseous.

"Issei," Xenovia called out to me, "While she lost a huge amount of blood, I doubt that your stab would have killed her. At the very least, a Devil wouldn't die from something like that. It seems that you've become more skilled."

I turned around and nodded at the Reincarnated Devil, "It's thanks to you and Kiba teaching me how to fight with a sword properly."

"No, it was all thanks to your diligence and desire to protect Asia," Xenovia replied to my words with a smile. And I smiled back, though my smile was a bit awkward.

Even now, I couldn't understand how Xenovia and Kiba could kill someone so easily. No, since I dealt the wound that debilitated the Stray Devil, I guess I was just as equally responsible for her death.

She _was_ trying to kill me, and if left alone, she might harm innocent people unrelated to the supernatural side.

I reminded myself the reason why I was doing this. To become stronger. I have to do this to protect Asia.

Yeah right, I smiled bitterly, I couldn't even convince myself of that.

There was no way that Asia would accept me killing another person for her sake. She would sooner sacrifice herself. No, it was easier to tell myself that I'm just doing acting under Metatron-sensei's orders.

I looked up the sky, wishing that the I could see the Sun behind the moon.

...I wonder if you knew that I would do something like this when you promised to watch over me.

" _ **Knowing her, this is probably within her predictions. Her attitude aside, she is quite perceptive."**_

...yeah, you're right, Ddraig.

I made my way home, hoping that Asia would be fast asleep and did not notice that I went out tonight.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

This was a bit out of topic, but a black cat crossed my path today. I heard from Asia that in some countries in the west, it was considered as a bad luck. But in Japan, that was an omen of good luck.

"Eh? Our plans for the Summer Vacation?"

That was why, when Gremory-senpai suddenly called Asia and I to the old school building and asked me about my plans for the Summer Vacation, I thought that nothing bad would happen.

Asia and I looked at each other and she tilted her head. ...yeah, we had no plan for the vacation at all. I mean, even if we did go somewhere, at most, we would go to the pool or something.

...going to the pool with Asia, huh? That'd be nice… But even then, it'd only be a day or two, not something that can be called a plan, I guess?

There was also the plan I made with Matsuda, Motohama, and Kamael. ...Matsuda, Motohama, and I decided to 'find a girlfriend and enjoy an Ero-filled Summer!' and even dragged Kamael along.

...let's disregard that plan. Not only that Kamael is not here, finding a girlfriend is impossible anyway ...especially with my record of 1 girlfriend, 1 date, 1 kill.

"Nothing yet, senpai. Why do you ask?"

Gremory-senpai smiled after hearing my answer.

"Actually…" ...uh oh, I felt chills going down my spine. "...I'm going back to the Underworld for a while, would the two of you like to come with us?"

Before I could go into another bout of misfortune declarations that makes me feel like I am becoming a certain Kamijou-san, I thought about it.

...the Underworld means Devils' Territory. Devils are allies. So… there should be no problem or danger, righ-

...that Katerea lady was also a Devil… A rather important one too since she was the descendant of an old Maou… There were also other Devils during the conference's attack that were working for Khaos Brigade…

Besides, Asia was called the 'Holy Maiden', right? Is she even allowed to go to the Underworld?

Another troublesome situation...

...should I refuse? But with senpai directly inviting us like this, refusing would be really rude…

No, even if it is rude. I have to be firm! I have to refuse this to ensure Asia won't be dragged into…

"You don't want to?" DAMN IT, SENPAI! THOSE TEARY EYES ARE CHEATING!

"Ise-san," Asia! "...I think we should accept Gremory-senpai's offer…"

Asia is too kind! She can't refuse a direct invitation like this! And I can't refuse Asia's request!

When Gremory-senpai's tears disappeared and she winked, I understood that this was part of her plans.

I…

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

...couldn't decline her offer. And now here Asia and I were, waiting for a train in a 'secret level' platform of this town's train station along with Gremory-senpai and her Peerage.

Why are we using a train to go the Underworld?! And why does this town's train station have a 'secret level'?! Just how much influence does Devils have in this town?!

Calm down, Hyoudou…. For now…

I opened my phone and quickly sent a text message to Matsuda and Motohama.

[Asia and I are away on a vacation with Gremory-senpai's club!]

Sent.

Not even a moment later, my phone rang.

Oh, they replied already? That was quick.

[Die!]

[Go to Hell!]

Correct, my friends. I _am_ going to hell.

...did they unlock a Third Eye because of jealousy, or something?

"I see that you're getting along fine with your friends, kid," Someone spoke from behind me.

"Azazel-san?!" The man who stood behind me was the Governor of the Fallen Angel!

"That's wrong, isn't it? I'm Azazel-sensei," The Fallen Angel corrected me with a smirk.

...that's right, this crazy Fallen Angel is now one of Kuoh Academy's teachers… I thought that he would go back to wherever he came from after the peace conference, but he chose to stick around instead.

Whenever I trained with Metatron-sensei, he would drop by and give me advice on how to use the [Boosted Gear] better, so I guess I'm thankful for that…

"Sensei, are you going with us to the Underworld?" I asked Azazel-sensei.

Azazel-sensei smirked, "That's right. There's a meeting between us and a certain geezer from the North in the Underworld."

...a certain geezer? Well… it shouldn't affect me, so I guess I don't need to ask.

"Oh, and Kamael should already be in the Underworld already. I didn't expect him to agree to guard Michael again, how interesting… is it because the other party is that geezer?" Azazel-sensei seemed to be thinking about something as he started to mutter to himself.

Well… that's fine to me.

I turned towards Asia, who was looking around the subway. "Asia, are you sure you're fine with going to the Underworld?" I asked her. I was worried that she accepted just because she didn't want to offend Gremory-senpai.

Asia smiled and gave me a nod, "It's alright, Ise-san. I want to spend some time with you."

…

"Issei-kun, your face is red," Unnecessary comment, Kiba.

But… I was really happy when I heard her reply. So I nodded back to her.

"Such a nice atmosphere they have, don't you think so too, Buchou?"

"Such is youth, Akeno."

Both Asia and I looked away with red faces when we heard Himejima-senpai and Gremory-senpai's comments.

Before I could reply to their words, I heard the sound of an approaching train.

The train that stopped before us had strange patterns on its sides.

"The symbol of Gremory and Lucifer," Azazel-sensei commented, "I guess this is your private train?" Sensei asked Gremory-senpai as he examined the train's design.

Gremory-senpai nodded as she walked towards the open doors, motioning us to follow her.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

…

"-dou-kun."

…

"Hyoudou-kun!"

…

"...it's no use, it seems that he is in shock."

"Ise-san!"

Huh? What?

I blinked as I looked around me. Asia, Gremory-senpai, Himejima-senpai, Xenovia, and Grayfia-san, the maid-san from the conference were looking at me. Huh? What is this? Why am I in a carriage?

...carriage?

"Glad to see that you've returned, Hyoudou-kun," Gremory-senpai said with a smile.

"...what do you mean, senpai?"

"Ise-san, you were just sitting there with a vacant stare and didn't respond when we called you," Asia told me.

...really?

"Did seeing the Underworld shock you that much, Hyoudou-kun?"

...that's right… we rode the train and then…

" _N-Nice to meet you, Hyoudou-senpai, Argento-senpai…" The cardboard box was speaking! "M-My name is Gasper Valdi. Rias-buchou's Bishop…"_

 _Cute… "Hyoudou-senpai. Gya-kun is a boy." "_ _ **WHAT?!**_ _" "Why English?"_

" _Senpai's land is as large as Honshu?!"_

" _You can pick whichever territory you want, Xenovia. Hyoudou-kun, Argento-chan, if you two join my Peerage, those territories could be yours too, you know?"_

" _Welcome back, Rias-ojou-sama!"_

 _...a welcoming parade… with maids, butlers, and soldiers…_

 _...going to Senpai's home by riding a carriage…_

...oh yeah, I shut down because I was in shock with what I heard and saw.

"Sorry about that, Senpai. I was surprised, by well…"

I didn't know how to summarize what shocked me…

Gremory-senpai smiled, "It's alright, Hyoudou-kun. I suppose seeing the Underworld for the first time would surprise you."

...it wasn't the Underworld that surprised me though…

...okay, seeing the Underworld being… normal, except for the purple sky, was quite surprising. I mean, I wasn't expecting it to be fire and torture like in the stories, but I didn't expect it to be this normal.

Still... hearing that Senpai's territory is as large as the mainland of Japan, and her readily giving parts of it away to Xenovia was more surprising. Were all the Devils rich or something?

...and that maid and butler parade...

Then, Senpai looked through the window of the carriage, "We'll arrive soon, it seems."

I followed her line of sight…

...a castle. ...of course…

"...is that castle your home, Senpai?" It wasn't as much of a question than it was asking for confirmation.

"It is one of the main residences of one of my houses, yes."

...I give up.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

What awaited us when we got out of the carriage was was a red carpet rolled out between us and the castle, complete with lines of maids and butlers standing on each side of the carpet.

...I… can't even be surprised anymore…

"Let's go," Gremory-senpai told us as she walked on the red carpet.

...is this really okay? Seriously?

Himejima-senpai followed Gremory-senpai while smiling like usual. Asia and I nervously following behind them while Xenovia seemed to be looking around and saying things about finding strong swordsman and requesting to duel them.

...isn't this supposed to be a summer vacation, Xenovia?

Then, a small figure came through the line of maids and butlers towards Gremory-senpai.

"Rias-nee-sama! Welcome back!"

A young boy with familiar red hair embraced Senpai.

"I'm back, Millicas. You've grown quite big, haven't you?" Senpai hugged the boy as she replied to his welcome.

...is this child Senpai's little brother? I mean, he did call her sister.

"Nee-sama," The boy spoke as he seemed to notice us as he and Senpai separated. "Are they new members of your Peerage?"

Gremory-senpai turned towards us, "Not exactly. I'll introduce them to you, Millicas." So the kid's name is Millicas.

Senpai motioned towards Xenovia, "She is my new Knight, Xenovia Quatra, the wielder of the Holy Sword, Durandal."

Millicas-kun' eyes seemed to glow with admiration when he heard that, "The Legendary Sword said to be equal to the Excalibur? That is amazing, Xenovia-san!"

"It's not that amazing," Xenovia's words were humble, but the smile she had showed that she was pleased by the praise.

...though, hearing that, I just realized that in this _world_ , Xenovia would be a pretty big deal since she is wielding a sword from the Legend, huh?

" _...eh, wait until that kid hears who you are."_

...why?

Then Gremory-senpai's line of sight moved towards Asia, "While she is not part of my Peerage, I hope that she'll accept my invitation one day. Her name is Asia Argento, wielder of the Sacred Gear, [Twilight Healing]."

Millicas-kun' eyes lighted up, "I learned of the [Twilight Healing] from one of my lesson, one of the most potent healing-type Sacred Gear, capable of healing even Devils."

Asia smiled as she nodded, "I am fortunate to be blessed with the [Twilight Healing]."

...fortunate, is it? If her Sacred Gear was anything but the [Twilight Healing], she probably couldn't heal the Devil and wouldn't be excommunicated.

No, I guess, someone as kind as Asia would consider it fortunate. After all, if she couldn't heal that Devil, the Devil probably would have died.

"Lastly, this young man is another one I would like to invite to my Peerage, the wielder of the [Boosted Gear], the Sekiryuutei, Hyoudou Issei."

...no wait, the Sekiryuutei is Ddrai-

"The Red Dragon Emperor!" Kid! You are too close! What's with this reaction?!

Now that I noticed, the maids and butlers also seemed to be looking at me differently from before.

" _Don't be surprised, kid. You ARE hosting one of the strongest being in the world in your body. ...and I'm sure I left the Devils a lasting impression during the war."_

What did you do, Ddraig?! Seriously, what did you do that makes them react like this?!

" _I'll tell you someday."_

...let's try to ignore what Ddraig said and deal with the kid for now…

"Nice to meet you, Millicas-kun. I'm Hyoudou Issei," I said to him as I offered him a handshake.

Suddenly I felt as if my bodies were stabbed by million daggers. ...uuh… the maid and butlers' stares suddenly became cold. Even the maid-san following us, Grayfia-san had one of her eyebrow raised.

Millicas-kun seemed to be surprised. ...why? Could it be that Devils don't do handshakes?! Did I do something wrong?!

But then Millicas-kun's smile returned, and maybe it was just my feeling, but the smile seemed happier than before, "Yes! Nice to meet you Issei-san!" He took my hand and shook it a few times.

Looks like I didn't make a mistake. I thought as the cold stares seemed to disappear. Though, I wonder why Gremory-senpai seemed to be amused by what just happened…

...anyway, after that, we continued our walk to the castle and each of us was given a room to stay for the remainder of the vacation.

I put my baggages at the edge of the room and laid down on the bed.

...comfortable. Seriously, what kind of magic did they use to make this bed?! It's completely different from the bed in my house! No wait, since they are Devils, maybe they actually made this with magic?!

...who cares about that… the bed is so comfy…

* * *

 **Azazel POV**

"Huh, I didn't expect you to beat me to the punch, Kamael," I commented as I saw the former Archangel of Gevurah standing before the guy I came to see.

A large figure towering above both Kamael and I, a giant covered by dark, purple scales with large bat-like wings extending from his back. A Dragon that we both knew quite well.

"Azazel," The Dragon muttered, "I was quite surprised when I see Kamael in Devils territory, but to think that you would be here too."

"Yeah, actually…" I rubbed the back of my head, "...I have a favor to ask."

"If it's asking me to train the new Sekiryuutei, don't bother. Kamael already asked me to do so. The new Sekiryuutei is staying with the Gremory clan, right?"

...huh, as expected from one of the wisest Dragon King. He must have noticed Issei's presence since the moment we entered the Gremory's territory. Still... if Kamael already approached him before me, that meant Kamael already knew that Issei would come to the Underworld today...

...don't tell me that overprotective Angel had spies around Issei?

"...so, what is your answer, Tannin?" Huh, so Tannin hasn't answered yet.

Tannin pondered over our request for a moment. "...I'll take him to my territory. If he survives there, I'll train him."

I suppose that's the best we would get.

"Our thanks, Tannin," Kamael slightly nodded his head as he thanked the Dragon.

"Don't mind. I'm a bit curious about Ddraig's new host anyway." Then, the Dragon's eyes met ours, "...so, what is this really about?"

Of course he would figure it out. I mean, if we are just going to request for his help, there'd be no need for us to directly meet him like this. Even a message or long-distance communication spell would be enough.

"Well… to put it bluntly, What is the connection between Mephisto and the magicians assisting the Khaos Brigade?"

Kamael nodded, "Indeed. We would like to request for information from you. His former Queen."

Tannin seemed thoughtful, "I see, so that's how it is."

To most people, it would seem that Kamael and I were doubting Mephisto Pheles and were interrogating Tannin about it. But that was wrong.

Kamael, Mephisto Pheles, and I were part of a small group that acted to minimize damage taken by each sides during the Great War. Our _leader_ said that we were doing it for the future of the Three Factions or something but honestly, it was just a gathering of crazy idiots who didn't like war and tried to influence it.

We subtly influenced the actions of our respective factions, moving the battleground away from areas filled with 'civilians' and children. If we failed, we would send our army before the others and evacuate the people around the area before a skirmish.

Sometimes, we would even to pretend to battle each other while in actuality, we were just sitting around and making small talks as we planned our future operations.

There was a bond of trust between members of that small organization. We knew that Mephisto wouldn't do something like helping the Khaos Brigade. But we had to give off the impression of acting suspicious and avoid direct contact with Mephisto since there were probably many spies around him. After all, he was the Director of the Magician Council.

...and if we can trap the Khaos Brigade into trying to recruit Mephisto, that will be two birds, one stone. Having more spies in the Khaos Brigade is always welcome.

"While most of the magicians who joined the Khaos Brigade are Stray Magicians, there are also magicians from the Council who are supporting them."

Kamael sighed in annoyance, "...as expected. There is a connection between them. How troublesome…"

Translation, _there are probably spies among the Council. Might need to make some plans to deal with them._

"Tannin, do you have any information on the magicians who might be a threat?" I asked the Dragon King.

Tannin seemed to frown. ...or he gave off the impression of frowning. I don't think I've researched Dragon's expressions before.

"I have no interest in magicians, so I can't tell you much. But from the few leads I have, I gathered that the Hexennacht has been acting strange lately."

The Hexennacht… a rather troublesome Stray Magician organization. I've heard rumors about it before, but this confirms it. ...since Tobio's team has a history with them, I think I should let them handle it.

"If we speak of the Hexennacht, then it would be the Witch of Walpurgis, Walburga. If I recall correctly, she is the current wielder of the Yeshua's Cross?" Kamael turned towards me for confirmation.

"Yeah," I confirmed his words, "Walburga of the Purple Flames. Wielder of the Sacred Gear, [Incinerate Anthem]. You don't have to worry about her though." I have a team who can handle her.

Kamael nodded, "Very well." Then he returned his stare towards Tannin, "We thank you for the information, Tannin. Then, as agreed, you may take Issei to your mountain when you are ready."

Tannin nodded, "Leave it to me."

I wonder if that kid can survive Tannin's training? I grinned as I imagined him trying to get away from Tannin while shouting about his ruined summer vacation.

Sorry kid, but for your own sake, this training is necessary for you.

...now that I think about it, since there's still a few days before the meeting with the one-eyed geezer, I think I'll laze around the Gremory's territory for a bit.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

"… _that boy…"_

" _...doesn't look strong…"_

" _...to Milicas-sama…"_

"Gremory-senpai," I called out to Senpai as the Devils around us kept whispering and glancing towards us. ...to be more specific, towards me.

When I glanced towards the Devils who were whispering, they averted their eyes. Sitting around a table were the members of Occult Research Club, Asia, and I. Asia gave me an encouraging smile that I returned weakly.

We were supposed to be relaxing in one of the cafe in Gremory-senpai's territory. But thanks to the Devils around us, I couldn't calm down at all...

"What is it, Hyoudou-kun?" Gremory-senpai asked me with a smile. ...that smile seemed suspicious, to be honest.

"...why are they whispering and looking at us?" I asked her and her smile grew.

"Why, whatever could you possibly mean, Hyoudou-kun?"

Why are you playing dumb, Senpai?!

"They are looking at, and whispering about, _you_ ," Senpai told me cheerfully.

That's even worseee!

Why? What did I do?! No, is this your fault, Ddraig?!

" _Don't blame me, kid. I have no idea why they are acting like that. If they ran away from you, screaming, then It's definitely my fault, though."_

What did you do to the Devils, seriously?!

"Why are they doing that, Gremory-senpai?" Asia asked Senpai in my stead.

Gremory-senpai beamed, "Why, it's because Hyoudou-kun acted so casually towards the son of Lucifer, of course."

...wait, hold the phone.

...the son of Lucifer?

...the only guy I met since I came here were the butlers of Senpai's family and...

Could it be…

"Senpai…" I began, if I could see my face, I'm pretty sure I'd see it as pale as snow, "...can I ask you who Millicas-kun's parents are?"

"Why, of course you can," Gremory-senpai answered. She's definitely enjoying this! Himejima-senpai beside her even chuckled, "Millicas is the son of my elder brother and Grayfia."

Not only the Lucifer but the maid-san also?! I acted like that in front of his mother?! Isn't he basically a Prince?! Will I be killed for this?!

I looked up to the sky.

 _Father, mother…_

 _The oppressive heat of Summer continues to linger, how have you been?_

 _The life you have given me may be short, a mere 16 years of life. Yet, I found it plentiful. Just as there were many trials and tribulations, there were also happiness and joy. I would be lying if I say that I have no regrets, but I feel that this life of mine was well spent._

 _Though the end was regrettable, as I did not die surrounded by a harem, but instead, died because of my lack of foresight._

 _I'm sure I don't have to say this, but please take care of Asia in my stead._

 _Take care,_

 _Hyoudou Issei_

" _...what are you doing, kid? Seriously..."_

"Don't worry about it, Hyoudou-kun," Gremory-senpai spoke to me, "Millicas seemed to be happy that you talked with him without reservations."

"...so they aren't going to execute me?" I asked her, nervously eyeing the Devils around us.

"There are some who wants to see you punished for your 'disrespect'." Nooo! "But since Millicas didn't mind, I doubt they'll do anything."

That's good. Millicas-kun is a nice kid!

"Also," Gremory-senpai smirked, "There are Devils who thought that you acted like that because you don't fear my brother and that you are the second coming of the Red Dragon Emperor."

That's bad! That's really bad! What is this?! What is this feeling of having a target being painted on my back?!

When she saw me glancing around, looking for any possible ambushes, Senpai shook her head, amused, "Don't worry, Hyoudou-kun. I told them that you and Asia are potential members of my Peerage."

Then, Senpai's eyes narrowed and with a smile, that could only be described as cold, she continued, "And they know better than to lay a hand on what is mine."

...I had to wonder if my sense of self-preservation was working correctly or not, since I actually felt relieved by her words.

"Anyway," Gremory-senpai clapped her hands, "There's no need to be anxious, my family owns this area after all. Nobody would dare to attack you here."

I suppose so…

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned towards the owner of the hand. I was greeted by a smile that, as rumors had it, felled hundreds of girls in Kuoh Academy.

"Don't worry, Issei-kun. I will protect you."

Don't say that to meee! Why the hell are you acting like a prince towards me! Do that to a girl, damn it!

"No thanks."

Kiba laughed lightly hearing my blunt answer.

After that, the atmosphere felt lighter to me. Gremory-senpai's explanation and Kiba's declaration actually made me feel more comfortable.

As we chatted around, I decided to ask a question that bothered me since we came to the Underworld.

"Gremory-senpai, you mentioned that your territory is as large as the mainland. How big is the whole Underworld?" Maybe Senpai's family controlled most of the Underworld because of Lucifer-san?

"The Underworld is as large as the human world. However, since there's no ocean here, we have more landmass."

" **...what?** "

"Why are you suddenly speaking English?" Gremory-senpai asked me with a puzzled, but amused expression.

"Sorry, can you say that again, Senpai?" I blame Metatron-sensei for that.

"The size of the Underworld is the same as the human world, as earth. But there are more lands here since there are no oceans."

"How's that possible, Senpai? Where exactly are we?"

"Well that's…" Gremory-senpai seemed to be at loss. Wondering how to explain it to me.

"Allow me to explain!" Azazel-sensei appeared out of nowhere!

I vaguely remembered Azazel-sensei saying that his business was in another part of the Underworld, why did he suddenly appear here?! Since when had he been standing behind me?!

"Azazel-sensei, aren't you supposed to be with my brother now? I thought you came to the Underworld for a meeting?" Gremory-senpai asked Azazel-sensei with a frown.

I turned my chair to the side so that I could see him.

The Governor of Fallen Angels laughed, "I have a bit of free time, so I thought I'll check up on you guys." Then Sensei waved his hand and a blackboard suddenly appeared behind him. "Anyway, I heard an interesting question from Issei."

"About the size of the Underworld?" Asia asked Azazel-sensei curiously.

He nodded, "Exactly. And more importantly, about 'where' it is located. Let's start from the world that you and Issei knew. The 'human' world."

Azazel-sensei drew a line on the blackboard and wrote 'Human World' beside it. Then he wrote 'now' below the end of the line.

"Normal people in the current era thought that Gods, Demons, and other mythical creatures don't exist, right?" He pointed towards the 'now' part.

I nodded. I heard about them, mostly from games and light novels, but I didn't expect them to really exist.

"However, in the past, things were different," Azazel-sensei wrote 'Genesis' on the beginning of the line. "I don't know whether Gods created humans or humans created Gods, or even how the world was created. There are some Gods that supposedly existed in that era, such as the Primordial CHAOS and the Primordial Ocean, Tiamat, but they refused to tell us anything about the 'Beginning'."

Then, he wrote 'Golden Age' under the line, but away from the 'Genesis', "Anyway, a few eras after the 'Genesis', there was a time when Gods and humanity lived in the same world. The Greek Poet, Hesiod called this era, the Golden Age. Most Gods that exist now were born in this era. Of course, that includes me. Some Christians would call this era the First Age."

"During the Golden Age, humans lived for hundreds of years," Azazel-sensei grinned towards me, "One example is Enoch, a man who assisted the Angels in defeating me and my fellow Fallen. He lived for 365 years before God took him to be the Voice of God, Metatron. Another example is the Ancient King, Gilgamesh, the King of Uruk from the Epic of Gilgamesh. He was-"

As I listened to Azazel-sensei's lecture, I realized that Asia and the members of the Occult Research Club were also listening attentively. We were fascinated by Azazel-sensei's words. He was talking about the era when Legends lived, when Gods walked with Men, the era that we heard as stories was 'the past' to him.

"-basically, the Golden Age was the era when Gods and mankind interact directly and both lived in the same world."

Then, Azazel-sensei wrote 'Silver Age' beside the previous Age, "In this era, both Gods and humans became estranged. Sometimes, humans would abandon the Gods that once favored them, and Gods would do the same to the humans who once worshiped them. It reached the point when humans openly rebelled against Gods."

Azazel-sensei made lines branching away from the 'Human World' line and wrote 'Heaven', 'Underworld', 'Olympus', 'Trayastrimsa', 'Yggdrasil', 'Takamagahara', 'Yomi', and many others beside the 'branches' he drew.

"After the war against humanity, the Gods decided to move their dwellings from the human world to a 'pocket dimension' that they created. The method to do so is complicated, but if you want to put it simply, they 'copied' this world and 'pasted' it into an empty dimension that they created with magic."

"Why did they do that?" Kiba questioned Azazel-sensei. "Why did they move to the 'pocket dimensions' instead of staying in the human world?"

"Because the war between Gods and humans resulted in contacts between pantheons. The reason why the world managed to survive with numerous pantheons existing at the same time was an unspoken agreement not to interfere with each other's pantheons."

"However the war caused them to meet, and sometimes, to clash with others. To avoid a war between the pantheons, the Gods chose to create our own territory while declaring the human world as a 'neutral' ground."

A war between Gods… that's a chilling thought…

" _That is an understatement, kid. Back when I was alive, there were internal wars such as the war between the Biblical Factions, but there weren't any open wars between one pantheon and the other. There were some battles and skirmishes. But even though there were casualties, no one was stupid enough to declare a war."_

Thank the Gods for that. Literally.

"Anyway, there are more 'Ages' that followed after the Silver Age, but that's enough for now. I think I've answered Issei's question."

Huh? ...oh, that's right, this whole lecture was because I asked about the Underworld.

"Sensei, so the Underworld is in a different world from human world?" I asked Azazel-sensei to make sure.

Azazel-sensei smirked, "Not exactly."

What?

Not only I, but the others around me also had faces filled with confusion.

"Here's the problem, we are using the words 'dimension' or 'worlds' freely to refer the human world and pocket dimensions such as the Underworld. However, all of them exist inside a single World. Our World." Azazel-sensei made a circle around the lines that he drew before.

Then he wrote 'Our World' in the circle.

"Beyond this is a conjecture that we made based on researching the Infinity Dragon, Ophis and the Anomalous Existence known as the Great Red."

"Ophis, as in the leader of the Khaos Brigade?"

"Anomalous Existence?"

At the same time I asked the question about Ophis, Gremory-senpai also voiced her confusion over the term that Sensei used.

Azazel-sensei nodded, "Yes. Ages ago, we, the Gods, encountered strange 'cracks' covering the space around our world. Researchers, such as I and the Gods of Wisdoms began analyzing the cracks, believing that it could lead to answering the question concerning the existence of multiple worlds. It was one of the rare events where pantheons put aside their difference and work together. To deal with this possible… 'threat'."

"However… what we found was even more chilling. Each day, the cracks grew in number, and with each crack formed, we could feel 'something' beyond it."

...I gulped. This is starting to sounds like a beginning of a cosmic horror story…

"It was during our research that one of the crack exploded, as if it was a mirror, we could see what was beyond the crack, and we saw a void, we saw a 'space' seen through a kaleidoscope. The space between Dimension, the place that we decided to call, the Dimensional Gap. And in it, two beings fought for supremacy."

"At first we thought that they were Draconic Gods, just like some of us, but as we saw their power, we realized that they were something _more_."

The Fallen Angel drew a black Serpent, a serpent who swallowed its own tail. "The first being was the being who ruled over the Infinite Cycle, a being with limitless power, the endless existence that is the Serpent. We called it, the Ouroboros Dragon, _the Infinite_ , Ophis."

Then he drew a red Dragon, the shape made it clear what it was, no one would mistake it as anything but a Dragon, "The other was the being who reigned over Unending Dream, a being with boundless might, the everlasting existence that is the pinnacle of Dragons. We called it, the Dragon of Dragons, _the DxD_ , Great Red."

"At the end of their battle, no, their war against each other, Ophis was defeated and was forced to retreat. Towards the 'gate' closest to it. To our world."

We were silent as we tried to process it.

Ddraig... you said that Ophis is the strongest being in the world, right?

" _Yes."_

Then… that Great Red, that DxD?

" _We called Ophis the strongest being in the world because it has reigned as the strongest in our world since its arrival. Great Red, unlike Ophis, is not a being who concerns itself with our world. The Dragon of Dragons was sighted several times after its battle against Ophis. It distorted the space around it and flew for a moment before returning to the Dimensional Gap. It is more of a Force of Nature to us. Something that we don't even think of opposing."_

To make Ddraig say something like that… what kind of creature is Great Red?

"Through our analysis of Ophis and Great Red," Azazel-sensei continued his lecture, and I returned my attention to him, "We hypothesized that our world is not the only 'World' in existence. There are many more Worlds beyond that Dimensional Gap. We brought our findings to the leaders of our respective pantheons. However, there's no way to ascertain this hypothesis as it is deemed impossible to travel to other Worlds."

There was no need to explain why it was impossible. From Azazel-sensei's story, we already knew why.

Because the Dimensional Gap is the territory of the Dragon of Dragons. The Strongest Being in existence.

* * *

 **Sirzechs Lucifer POV**

"You're early," I commented towards the Chief of Powers who landed in front of me.

The Angel and I stood in front of the building designated to be the meeting site between our faction and Odin, the Chief God of the Norse Pantheon. The Angel seemed to be scanning the building for a moment, then he met my gaze, "Is there a problem with my presence here?"

"No," I shook my head, "Unless you are here to do us harm, that is."

There was a flicker of _something_ in his crimson eyes, "I am not that foolish, Bringer of Destruction. I have faced you at the height of my power and I have lost. My powers waned as yours grew. There is no reason to provoke you."

"I see," I decided to probe him further, "Not even to avenge your Legion?"

Not counting the conference at Kuoh, this was our second meeting with each other. We contacted each other indirectly, concerning his decision to reside in Kuoh, but it was done between him and Grayfia.

During our first meeting, I fought against him and his Legion. The Seraphim, the Burning Ones. Every Devils who lived through the war knew about them. A Legion of 216,000 Angels of Fire, led by the Flaming Sword of Gevurah.

During the early stages of the war, Eligos and Aim, two of the Dukes of the 72 Pillars brought their full army and attacked the Burning Ones. An army of millions Devils entered the battle, and only hundreds of them survived, with both Duke Eligos and Duke Aim slain.

Hearing the news of the death of two Dukes in a single encounter shook the Devils, stories of the Burning Legion was spread. And the Seraphim became one of the most feared, and hated Angelic Legion to the Devils.

While the Elohim led by the Archangel of Glory was feared because of their strength, the Seraphim was feared because of their tenacity. Regardless of how outnumbered and outpowered they were, the Seraphim never allowed their enemies to escape unscatched.

During the final stages of the war, I received an order from the Morning Star himself. An order to destroy the Seraphim. I set out with my own Legion, facing against the Seraphim. It was thanks to my achievement in that battle, that I was nominated as a candidate to the position of the Lucifer.

For days our Legions fought each other. For days, I fought against the Wrath of God that now stands before me. His Flames of Gevurah burned me as my Power of Destruction crushed him.

Our battle ceased when the Voice of God spoke. Telling us to stop, that on that day, both the Angels and Devils have suffered enough loss. That both God and the Maous were dead.

The fight ended without a conclusion. Both he and I retreated with the remnants of our army. I was hailed as the hero who drove off and crippled the Seraphim and I was granted the title Lucifer after the truce between Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels was declared.

When I saw him in the conference in Kuoh, I was shocked. His power was a pale shadow of his former self. The Flames of Gevurah that once devastated Devils, and exterminated Gods were gone. What remained was nothing more than a small ember.

One of his eyebrow rose, "More than other Devils, you have slain my siblings. With the power you inherited, that you honed, you _destroyed_ Nuriel, my younger sister. However, it is not my duty to Avenge. I Judge. By His Law, His Will."

I found it rather chilling that the one who was supposed to be the Angel of Wrath could speak of his legion's death and declare his lack of interest in avenging them so lightly. He sounded as if he was making merely making an observation.

I've faced Angels who were zealous in their belief. They acted like machine, moving simply to accomplish their objectives. Children of Devils were cut down without mercy, Devils who refused to join the war were also killed without regard.

But, even they had emotion. When I insulted their God, when I killed their compatriots, they were enraged and attacked me.

No, now that I think about it. Even when he fought against me...

I decided to kept questioning him, "Why not? Don't you care about them?" I had to admit, I was angered by his apathy, If my sister, if Rias was killed, there was no way I wouldn't avenge her.

"I care," The Angel's voice slightly rose in anger, "Since the moment of their conception, they were my Legion. I trained them, I raised them. I have nothing but contempt for you, Sirzechs Gremory."

"Had you not been there, my Legion would continue to walk among the living. Had you not been there, I would not lose Nuriel. Had you not been there, I could have assisted the Lord against the Morning Star." Then, as quick as it came, the anger disappeared, "However, that is meaningless. Without the Lord, it is not possible to return my Legion back to life."

"And doing something simply to fulfill the need of vengeance is worthless. Placing the alliance between us at risk for a momentary satisfaction is foolish. And for humanity's future, you are the lesser of two evils compared to the Khaos Brigade."

Before I could respond to his words, he continued, "I shall pose you a question in return, Crimson Satan. Why have you not killed me yet? As you have killed mine, so have I killed yours. Unlike I, you possess the capability to destroy me. In addition, with the right method, it is also possible for you to escape the consequences of doing so."

I thought for a moment, wondering how to answer that question. I knew my reason. Seeing him reminded me of the reason. He, and others like him was the reason. "Because I do not wish for another war among us."

"Truly? Why?"

Hearing his response, I glared at the Angel, "I hardly think that someone needs a reason to wish for peace. Don't you feel the same?"

I will never allow Millicas and other children like him see the horrors of war. The old generation who knew of the depths of depravity that the Devils had sank to for the sake of winning against the Biblical God. The horrors that we experienced by the hands of the Angels, Fallen Angels, and even, fellow Devils.

If anything, the Archangel of Wrath seemed to be even more puzzled, "I believe that a war among us will cause problems to humanity. Not only that it will reduce my time to watch over them, it also increases the risk of them falling to temptation of Devils and Fallen Angels. Do you share the same belief then?"

...what?

What did he just say?

"Don't you care about your fellow Angels?" I asked him in disbelief, "If we go to war once more, they will die. Is that not a reason enough?" Instead of talking about his kind, the reason he chose to avoid war was humans. While I don't have any problems with them, but I won't place their well-being over Devils'.

"Give it up, brat," Before the Angel could answer, a third voice joined our 'debate', "This guy is always like that. If those brats Azazel and Michael can't understand him, what makes you think you can?"

An elderly man walked towards us from the building's entrance, his grey hair and long bread showed his age, and the eyepatch over his left eye showed his identity.

"Skollvadr," The Angel greeted the Ruler of Asgard, Odin. "Still alive, I see."

"Is that how you greet me after not seeing each other for thousands of years, Flaming Sword?" Instead of being offended by the Angel's greeting, Odin seemed amused instead.

"I meant no insult, Hoárr. The name, Ruler of Treachery, does describe you well," Now he used the epithet meaning One-Eye. For an Angel, he certainly was familiar with Odin's epithets.

"I was referring to your greeting, not what you called me, Burning One."

"Hangi, we both know that my death would give you a cause to rejoice. I too, would rejoice over your death. We loathe each other. There is no reason for us to exchange pleasantries," The Archangel of Gevurah shot back without any pause. "Have you lost your memories thanks to your age? Perhaps it is the result of your foolish obsession with knowledge, Hanged One?"

"Though you've lost your power, you certainly haven't lost your sharp tongue, _Angel_. Let's continue this in a place where no one can interfere, shall we? I'll be sure to remind you who is the stronger one between us," The Chief of Norse Gods smiled coldly as he turned around and began to walk towards the building.

"A senile fool who destined to be eaten by a puppy is nothing to be feared of, Váði vitnis."

When the Angel smirked and followed Odin, I realized that the meeting tomorrow would be a huge headache.

...let's hope that Odin won't kill the crazy Angel. That would cause some problems with the alliance.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

…blearily, I opened my eyes. The purple sky of the Underworld was certainly different. It felt like it was still nighttime and I briefly considered going back to slee-

...the purple sky of the Underworld?

"...where's the ceiling?" ...shouldn't I be looking up at the ceiling of my room at Gremory-senpai's castle?

Wait…

I sat on the ground and looked at the surrounding around me. It wasn't my room at the castle. Not even close.

"...why am I in the middle of some forest?"

" _...you only realized this now?"_

Ddraig! Where the hell am I?

" _As you said, Hell."_

...okay, I admit that I walked into that one. But seriously, where are we?

" _Tannin's territory. I can sense his power all around us."_

...who's Tannin?

" _A former Dragon King. He was a rather strange Dragon who chose to become a Devil for the sake of finding a territory for his clan."_

A Dragon King… wait, if he chose to become a Devil. Does that mean he is a Reincarnated Devil?

" _Yeah, I heard he accepted a Devil's offer and became part of that Devil's Peerage. In return, he was allowed to bring his clan to the Underworld."_

"Why did he do that?"

" _Tannin's clan members came from many Dragon races. A certain race among them can only survive by eating Dragon Apples. A special kind of fruit that only exist in the Underworld."_

So he did it to keep his clan members alive? He seems like a good guy.

" _He is. That's why he is a bit strange for a Dragon. We are usually more of 'survival of the fittest' kind of race after all."_

Hmm… I wonder if we'd get to see this Tannin guy.

I heard the sound of footsteps and wingbeats. Turning my head, I saw Asia being followed by…

...seriously?

"Ise-san, good morning!" Asia greeted me cheerfully as she walked towards me.

"Morning Asia," I greeted back. "...why do you have Dragons following you?"

Yes, the sounds of flapping wings came from the Dragons following Asia!

Are those Dragons, members of Tannin's clan? Why are they following Asia?!

And why are those Dragons looking at me like they want to kill me?!

" _They are probably being attracted by my power. With you being the bearer of [Boosted Gear], you're probably eventually going to be hunted down by some Dragons. Either because they want to challenge your or mate with you. I'm bragging here, but I've managed to charm the Primordial Mother, Tiamat back when I was alive."_

Why are you bragging?! Isn't Tiamat the one mentioned by Azazel-sensei?! One of those old-aged Gods or something?! How did you even do that?! And I prefer humanoid partners, thank you!

"These children are Tannin-san's family members," Asia gestured to the Dragons as she petted the head of one of the smaller Dragons who floated towards us.

...children? Not dangerous then? I stared at the Dragons who seemed to meet my gaze with no small amount of bloodlust. ...I stand corrected.

Still, she confirmed that the Dragons were Tannin's clan members.

"So does this Tannin guy have something to do with why we're here and not in the castle?" I asked Asia.

Asia tilted her head slightly as she seemed to be confused on how to answer me.

….this is out of topic, but she is really cute.

" _...save those thoughts for another time, brat."_

"Umm… early this morning, when Ise-san was still asleep, a Dragon came to Gremory-senpai's castle," Asia began

I nodded, motioning her to continue.

"The Dragon was Tannin-san. Tannin-san said that he was an acquaintance of Azazel-sensei and Kamael-san."

...I have a really bad feeling about this. Tannin seemed like a good guy, but hearing those two names, and knowing that Asia and I were in his territory could only mean 'trouble'.

And I mean that not in the bad kind, but in the bothersome kind of trouble.

Still… a Dragon who knew both Azazel-sensei and Kamael in addition of being a reincarnated Devil...

"Tannin-san said that Azazel-sensei and Kamael-san requested him to train Ise-san. So Tannin-san came to Gremory-senpai's castle to take Ise-san with him to his territory."

...wait a sec. So they just let a Dragon take me away or something?

"Azazel-sensei appeared and confirmed Tannin-san's story. After that, Azazel-sensei handed the sleeping Ise-san to Tannin-san."

…

"Sorry, Asia, can you close your ears for a moment?" I asked Asia with the best smile I could muster.

She nodded and obediently closed her ears with her hands.

I took a deep breath.

"Goddamnit Kamael, Azazel-sensei! What are you guys doing to my Summer Vacation?!"

...with that out of my system, I turned towards Asia, ignoring the group of Dragons who stared at me like I was some kind of a weird alien.

I spoke to Asia who removed her hands from her ears.

"So I was brought here for training, right?" Seeing Asia nod, I continued. "Why are you here too, Asia?"

She frowned slightly hearing my question and I immediately followed up, "Not that I mind! I'm glad that you're here. But Tannin's business is with me, right? Instead of coming here, wouldn't it be more fun to spend time with Gremory-senpai instead?"

Asia shook her head, "I want to be with Ise-san," Her declaration caught me off guard. Then she continued, "Lately, Ise-san have been spending more time training… I thought that we could spend more time together during the vacation, but…"

...I felt pangs of guilt as I listened to her. It was true that since the conference in Kuoh Academy, I've been spending more time training with Metatron-sensei, Kiba, and sometimes, Xenovia. Even when I wasn't training, I would join Kiba and Xenovia when they went out to hunt Stray Devils.

"Sorry about that, Asia," I apologized to her, bowing my head, "I promise I'll spend more time with you, okay?" Still… there's no way I can take her with me when I train or fight Stray Devils… Asia doesn't like seeing others get hurt, after all.

Surprisingly, Asia shook her head, "No, I'm sure you have your reasons, Ise-san..."

...what am I supposed to say to that? I want her to stay away from danger as much as possible, and 'Dragons' are supposed to attract dangers, right?

" _To be more exact, we attract strong beings. It's just that they are usually dangerous too."_

Not helping, Ddraig.

The awkward silence between Asia and I were broken by a gust of wind. I hurriedly covered her body with my own, readying myself for an attack.

"I-Ise-san?" Asia shyly called out my name with red face.

...cute. But now's not the time! Where did the gust came from?

" _Tannin's here, kid."_ The gust came from him then? Where? _"Up there."_

I looked upwards and saw a huge winged-humanoid Dragon levitating slowly towards us.

Dark-purple, draconic scales and black armor.

Two yellow horns protruding on the sides of his draconic head.

Red eyes that seemed to glow with wisdom.

Then the Dragon spoke to me, his voice reverberating around the forest, "I see that you are awake, boy. I am the Blaze Meteor Dragon, Tannin."

I gaped for a while, speechless at the sight of a _real_ Dragon in front of me.

" _Oi, kid. Introduce yourself, will you?"_

Ddraig's voice snapped me out of my state and I bowed as I introduced myself.

"...I'm Hyoudou Issei. Ddraig told me about you, Tannin-san."

Tannin-san seemed to scrutinize me. Then he spoke, "Do you know why you're here?"

"I heard that Kamael and Azazel-sensei asked you to train me," I answered him.

"Correct," Then the Dragon seemed to grin, "This will be my first time training a human who harbours Ddraig. This should be an interesting experience. I wonder how much training you can take."

I gulped hearing his words. The excited growls of the smaller Dragons around me not helping my nerves, "...please treat me kindly."

Goodbye my happy summer vacation…

Sayonara, the shining memories of my youth.

This place really is Hell.


	14. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD.**

 **Warning, this story contains religious and mythological elements. The author does not mean any disrespect to the mentioned religious views.**

 **Thanks to Wrathie Winsre for the cover image!  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

' **Kindness'**

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

Dear Grandfather in Heaven.

Grandfather, how are you? Is Heaven as beautiful as they say it is?

I, Hyoudou Issei, might be seeing you soon.

Why you ask?

Well-

"Dodge, boy!"

[Boost!]

I jumped to the side, avoiding a giant fireball that exploded and burned the trees around me. Roughly two weeks passed since I was kidnapped by a Dragon and was thrown into the mountain for training.

I'd like to think that I've grown stronger by now, but that fireball would have vaporized me in an instant nonetheless.

"Damn it Ossan! Slow down a little, will you?!" I shouted at Tannin-ossan. ...yes, I decided to call him old man. Unexpectedly, he didn't mind that.

"I haven't been able to sleep peacefully for days, damn it!" Every time I tried to get some rest, I'd sense his fireball or one of his clan members trying to attack me after two or three hours of sleep!

I didn't even have the chance to return to Tannin-ossan's 'village' and visit Asia because their attacks kept on driving me farther away.

I don't mind training, but I also want to spend some time with Asia and relax during my vacation!

"You want to become stronger, right?!" The Dragon roared as he fired another fireball.

"Of course!" I shouted back.

[Slayer!]

"That's why I'm still here!"

[Transfer!]

I grabbed hold of Ascalon that had burst out from the jewel in Boosted Gear and swung it. It cut the fireball into two with a wave of light energy.

I swung Ascalon again, sending a light wave towards the Dragon.

Old man Tannin rose higher to the sky, avoiding my attack, "Then you shouldn't be complaining! Use that energy to train instead!" He waved his hands and two smaller humanoid dragons appeared beside him. One wearing grey armor and the other clad in red.

Those two again, huh?

The red one was Jaculus, a male Dragon who used his speed to get close to his opponents and attack them with his claws and fists.

The grey one was Anguis, a female Dragon who specialized in attacking with long range magical attacks. Primarily fireballs, like Tannin-ossan.

The two Dragons dove towards me and I returned Ascalon into the Boosted Gear. Last time I tried to fight them with the Dragonslayer, Tannin-ossan interfered with fireballs to make things 'fair'.

Which part of making a human like me fight against two Dragons at the same time is fair, damn it?!

" _To be fair, you've managed to beat them. Compared to you who trained with that crazy Angels and the Devils, those two are still inexperienced after all."_

"We'll beat you this time, Issei!" The Dragon in red, Jaculus, swiped his hand, trying to scratch me with his claw. I jumped away, avoiding it.

From the side, Anguis fired small fireballs towards me. If I avoid this, I'd leave myself open for Jaculus' attacks.

I landed on the ground and smirked towards the two Dragons, "Sorry, not today."

[Boost!]

[Explosion!]

As power rushed throughout my body, I considered how long it would last. I've boosted myself lots the past few days, so it should last for a while. At least, it should be enough to beat those two.

I raised my left hand and covered it with Ddraig's red aura. This was something I did when fighting that Leviathan lady. An attack that focuses the Boosted energy to one point of my body and unleash it as a single attack.

[Dragon Strike!]

I punched the incoming fireball without hesitation, destroying it.

I opened my left hand, focusing my sights on the two Dragons.

Using some of the remaining power I received from the [Explosion], I created a small red orb above my palm.

Seeing the orb, Jaculus and Anguis reacted by opening their mouths, and readying themselves to fire great fireballs.

"Go!"

[Dragon Shot!]

I swung my arm and the orb exploded, firing a beam of Dragon energy towards the two who fired their fireballs

The attacks collided and exploded in an instant. Covering my vision with smokes and dust.

...it's not over yet, huh? There's no way those two Dragons give up just with that.

Those two were the Dragons that Tannin-ossan chose to spar with me. They were part of his younger clan members who had potential but lack the combat experience.

Because of that, they were quite eager and really enjoyed trying to fight me. Fortunately, thanks to the training I did with the Angels, Uzume-san, and Kiba, I managed to beat them even though they were stronger than me.

Jaculus burst out from within the smoke, a feral grin on his face as he swung his arm to punch me.

"Got you!"

His reach was longer than mine, if I tried to counter him normally without dodging, I would lose. But if I dodge, I'd probably be attacked by Anguis again, losing my chance to beat them quickly.

I swung my arm towards him. His grin grew, probably thinking that I made a mistake.

[Blazer!]

"I'm not going to fight fair, you know," I said with a smirk as the Light and Darkness Blade stabbed into the male Dragon.

"Another loss huh…" The Dragon muttered as he fell to the ground, blood seeping out from the stab wound.

At first, I had hesitated to hurt them like this, since unlike the Stray Devils, they weren't my enemy. But, old man Tannin told me that unless you use a Dragonslayer weapon, Dragons were difficult beings to kill.

Also, with Asia around, they could be healed in an instant, so I didn't need to worry.

" _The training helps you a lot. You don't freeze or worry about killing your opponent now."_

...yeah, it was similar to what I did with the Stray Devils. I would fight and try to beat them without inflicting critical wounds.

Though, in case of Jaculus and Anguis, it's a lot more difficult since they aren't my enemies.

I looked around me, trying to find Anguis.

"Not here…" I briefly considered chasing her but discarded the thoughts immediately. I doubt I could find her, especially if she flew and hide in the sky. Instead, I should focus on going back to Tannin-ossan's 'village'.

Besides, she was probably planning to ambush me on the way anyway.

As I rushed towards the village, I could hear the sounds of Tannin-ossan picking up the injured Jaculus. Not even moments later, Tannin-ossan flew above me, moving towards the village.

"...I wonder if Asia'll scold us again."

The first time she saw what the Dragons and I did to each other, she scolded us and told us not to hurt each other too much.

That time, all three of us were covered in wounds and burns. And we were hurting to the point where we couldn't even walk properly. So of course Asia would be angry.

Jaculus and Anguis complained that this was how Dragons do things and Asia scolded them even more.

Surprisingly, they seemed to have listened since after that our training weren't that intense anymore. Then again, the Dragons seemed to like Asia, so I guess it shouldn't be too surprising.

Tannin-ossan mentioned that Asia had an affinity with the Dragons. He said that if she was a magician, she could probably find a Dragon to be her familiar.

I smelt something burning and immediately moved. Narrowly avoiding a fireball as I rolled to the side.

"Damn, I missed," Anguis spoke as she stepped out from between the trees. "And here I thought you weren't paying attention."

I stared at her blankly, "The burning smell of the fireball kinda gave it away, you know." Of course, it'd be a different story if the fireball was large enough like Tannin-ossan's, or if it was fast enough to hit me before I could react.

"Oh yeah. I forgot," She shrugged, "It smells good anyway. So it's fine, right?"

I facepalmed. This pyromaniac…

"Anyway," She spoke, as magic circles formed around her. "Let's end this quickly, okay? Tannin-sama said that he's going to wait for us in the village."

...I should have enough energy to use one more Dragon Shot.

A small orb formed itself above my left palm once more.

Anguis opened her mouth, revealing a sphere of flame, ready to be fired. The magic circles around her glowed, empowering the fireball.

I swung my arm.

[Dragon Shot!]

The sound of explosion echoed throughout the forest once more.

[Reset!]

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

I felt the stares from the Dragons around me as I walk through Tannin-ossan's village. Though I called it a 'village', it was actually a lot like Gremory-senpai's territory, with buildings that wouldn't look out of place in medieval eras.

One difference between Gremory-senpai's and Tannin-ossan's territory was the location. Tannin-ossan's territory was located at this place called the 'Dragon Ravine'. The village itself was located on top of cliffs and mountains.

The Dragons don't have problem with that. For me and Asia… well… let's just say that I'm glad that Tannin-ossan had bridges installed between the areas of village…

Anyway, the Dragons were probably staring at me since I was carrying Anguis on my shoulder. Since she said that Tannin-ossan would be waiting for us in the village, I assumed he wanted me to carry her back or something.

...by the way, I would like to point out that the stares weren't 'this guy is amazing' or something like that. The stares the Dragons sent me were 'I want to fight this guy'. Kamijou-san was right! Such misfortune!

"Asia! I'm back!" I shouted happily as I entered the 'house' where Asia and I were supposed to stay.

"Welcome back, Ise-san!" Asia greeted me cheerfully but then frowned when she saw me. "Ise-san, you're hurt!" She rushed towards me as she examined my wounds.

"Just a few scratches, nothing you need to worry about," I told her as I checked my body for any others injuries I might have missed. "But before you heal me, I think you should heal Anguis first."

I lowered the Dragon on the floor as Asia switched her attention on Anguis. Her hands glowing green as she used [Twilight Healing] on the wounds I caused.

"Yo Issei, seems like you've grown stronger," One of the causes of my (current) suffering walked towards me with a small Dragon with purple scales flying beside him.

"Tannin-ossan," I greeted the small Dragon.

Yes, the small Dragon was Tannin-ossan. This form was the form he used to save energy and to enter small buildings.

Looking at the small form, no one would expect that he was the Blaze Meteor Dragon, former Dragon King-sama, Tannin.

I heard from Ddraig that the Dragon Kings were supposed to be the strongest Dragons aside from the two Heavenly Dragons, Ddraig and the White Dragon. If I didn't see his real form and only knew the small power-saving form, I doubt I would believe that.

"You've beaten Anguis as well, I see. Good job," Tannin-ossan told me as he flew towards Anguis and Asia.

"Oh, ignoring me, Issei? I'm hurt you know? I might _accidentally_ modify your body in your sleep because of how hurt I am."

"Azazel-sensei, what are you doing here?" I asked him with a sour expression.

Seeing my face, the Mad Scientist Fallen Angel laughed. "Don't be like that. I'm here to check up on you and Asia, you know."

"Check up on us?" I was surprised. I didn't expect him to do something like that. I mean, he sometimes would drop by Metatron-sensei's place and gave me some advice on how to use Boosted Gear, but I never thought he would come all the way to Tannin-ossan's territory to check up on us.

The Dragon Strike and Dragon Shot techniques that I used against Jaculus and Anguis were created thanks to Azazel-sensei.

It happened during my first training to use magic under Metatron-sensei. We found out that my magic talent was mediocre and I probably couldn't use magic in battle. Azazel-sensei overheard our conversation and suggested to me to use the power stored in Boosted Gear instead of my own magic.

Azazel-sensei explained that the way I use Boosted Gear normally was by boosting the energy in Boosted Gear and using it to empower my whole body. His suggestion was to focus the power to a single place instead.

The results were the close-range fist attack, Dragon Strike and the long-range beam Dragon Shot. These two techniques, alongside Ascalon's 'Light Wave' were the 'finishing moves' I could use right now.

...now that I think about it, since Azazel-sensei's suggestions helped me made those techniques and he would explain many things to me, I really owe him.

And now, he traveled all the way here to check up on us. I guess I should be more respectful to him?

"Yeah, check up on you two. Also because I'm curious on how the miasma of Dragon Ravine is affecting the [Boosted Gear] and [Twilight Healing]."

...scratch that, he had ulterior motives after all still.

" _Kid, ask him what he meant by that."_

Huh? What do you mean, Ddraig?

" _He said that the miasma could be affecting the Sacred Gears. Aren't you curious about what that means?"_

That's true…

"Sensei, could you explain about that a bit more?" I asked Azazel-sensei.

There was a strange glint in his eyes when he heard my question.

...he's going into a lecture, isn't he?

"A good question Issei! To explain that, I should first explain what a Sacred Gear is," He motioned me to sit as he summoned a board from… 'somewhere', just like what he did when explaining about the world before.

He wrote 'God Artifacts, Sacred Gears' on top of the board.

"The artifacts that we call Sacred Gears, or God Artifacts, are items created by the God of the Bible as part of his God System, the Ohr Ein Sof," Azazel-sensei wrote the words 'God System, Ohr Ein Sof'on the board.

"Delving into the explanations of God System would make things complicated, but putting it shortly, it is the system that God of the Bible created to 'enact miracles'. It is divided into three main systems, the Angel System, the Miracle System, and the Sacred Gear System."

Under the 'God System', Azazel-sensei wrote the names of the three Systems he mentioned and circled the 'Sacred Gear System'.

"The one we'll be talking about is the Sacred Gear System. You remember what I explained about the Ages of the World before, right?" At my nod, Azazel-sensei continued, "After the Golden Age passed, God noticed that humans with powers to perform miracles decreased drastically."

Azazel-sensei pointed at the 'Miracle System', "In the past, God allowed humans with huge amount of Holy Energy to enact Miracles on Earth using the Miracle System. To put it simply, it allows humans like Enoch or Moses to use their Holy Energy to perform Miracles."

"However, after the Golden Age, it is rare for humans with Holy Energy to be born, rendering the Miracle System virtually useless. God then decided that a new System should be made. A System that allows humans without Holy Energy to enact Miracles. That System is the Sacred Gear System."

I raised my hand and Azazel-sensei motioned me to speak.

"Why did God create the Miracle System in the first place?" I mean, what was it for anyway?

Azazel-sensei smirked, "Good question. The two main reasons were Faith and Influence. By gifting humans who worship Him the abilities to enact Miracles, He strengthen their Faith. And by having those humans act on His Will, He is able to influence the world without interfering directly."

"Faith and Influence," Azazel-sensei said once again, "Are the reasons why He managed to essentially drove other pantheons to the brink of extinction. Most likely, He predicted that the influence of all mythologies would weaken due to that and made use of that."

"While other pantheons lost most of their worshipers and the ability to influence the world, the Miracle System and Sacred Gear System allowed God to manipulate the events in the human world to His favor."

Azazel-sensei had a bitter smile as he continued to speak, "Back when He was still alive, the Sacred Gear wielders were not chosen at random. God would deliberately chose humans that would allow Him to attack other mythologies while at the same time strengthening His."

"Even now, sometimes the Angels would chose certain humans and 'rig' the System to bestow those humans with Sacred Gears. Anyway, those individuals can be considered as the 'first generation' of Sacred Gear wielders. An example would be Constantine who was an essential figure of the Christianization of the Roman Empire."

"For now, let's talk about what the Sacred Gear actually is," Azazel-sensei's eyes met mine and with a sigh, he continued, "I think you've realized this since the Red Dragon Emperor was one of the few that maintain his consciousness even as a Sacred Gear. The Sacred Gear, is a Prison."

...I nodded. Yeah, from what Ddraig told me, I figured that it would be something like that.

"Sometimes, God would command the Angels to hunt down certain creatures or Gods. Then He would create Sacred Gears using their souls. For an example, the Sacred Gear [Twice Critical] was made using the soul of lesser Dragons."

Azazel-sensei pointed at Asia, "There are some exceptions like the [Twilight Healing] and your friend's [Sword Birth]. Those Sacred Gears were made based on data collected by the 'Miracle System' instead of using souls. But aside from a few exceptions, most of the Sacred Gears were created using souls of other creatures."

"Anyway, your original question was about the miasma of Dragon Ravine and how it affects the Sacred Gears. To answer that, I have to explain about the 'bugs' in the Sacred Gear System."

"Bugs?" As in computer bugs?

"Yes, after God's demise. The Angel known as Seraphiel took over the maintenance of the God System, including the Sacred Gear System. While she was, undoubtedly, the best one for the job, she was not God. Because of that, while the System continues to work, it had some 'bugs' in it."

"The biggest bug, was the [Balance Breaker]," Azazel-sensei wrote it on the board, "It is the Ultimate State of a Sacred Gear. By drawing more power from the Sacred Gears beyond what was originally allowed by God System, the Sacred Gears would temporarily evolve into stronger forms, or in case of some Sacred Gears, forms that are closer to the souls imprisoned in it."

"[Balance Breaker] is usually unlocked when the wielder of the Sacred Gear experiences great emotion alongside a 'change' in their 'heart' or 'spirit'."

"Like Kiba's [Balance Breaker], right?"

Azazel shook his head, "That is a [Balance Breaker], yes. But that is also another bug. I'll explain that one later. For now, an example of a 'normal' [Balance Breaker] is the armor that Vali has. You saw it before, right?"

I nodded.

Vali… the name of the Hakuryuukou. Back in the conference, he accessed Balance Breaker like it was nothing. In the Balance Breaker form, he had white draconic armor.

"That was the [Divine Dividing Scale Mail]. The [Balance Breaker] of the [Divine Dividing]. At the cost of large magical energy and stamina, it allows the wielder to halve and steal their opponent powers without stopping."

...that's a scary ability. Since his base power overwhelm mine, if he used that against me, it would be my loss instantly.

"Sensei, do you know what is the [Balance Breaker] of the [Boosted Gear]?" I asked Azazel-sensei. Since the Divine Dividing was the rival of the Boosted Gear, Boosted Gear should have something similar, right?

"The regular [Balance Breaker] of the [Boosted Gear] is the [Boosted Gear Scale Mail]. It removes the 10 seconds time-limit of the Boosts. Of course, it costs a lot of magical energy and stamina as well."

...those costs would certainly be troublesome for me.

"Moving on," Azazel-sensei spoke, "Another bug in the Sacred Gear System is the existence of the Subspecies, the Abyss and the Irregular [Balance Breaker]."

"What are those?"

Azazel-sensei drew four separate lines under the word 'Balance Breaker'. He wrote Regular, Subspecies, Abyss, and Irregular, on the lines.

"The Subspecies [Balance Breaker] are the [Balance Breaker] that evolves differently from the norm. It refers to the [Balance Breaker] that is influenced by outside influences, to the point that it 'mutates' into a different kind of [Balance Breaker]. The outside influence can be things like the wielder's soul or powerful magic."

"Also, even if it is not to the point of creating a Subspecies, a Sacred Gear usually would still possess unique properties based on their wielders. This is because it evolves to suit its users' needs and desires. That's why I wanted to check up on you and Asia. I'm curious if the miasma of Dragon Ravine would cause some changes to the Sacred Gears or not."

" _He's right. Some of my past wielders who specialize in using weapons would be able to Transfer more energy than those who rarely use weapons. In turn, those who rely on their fists would gain more benefit from the Boosts."_

That sounds interesting. It's like the 'proficiency system' in games, right? If you use the same weapon or skill over and over again, the skill would get stronger or more efficient.

" _Yeah, something like that."_

"Abyss [Balance Breaker]," I returned my attention to Azazel-sensei who continued his lecture, "Is an 'ascension' of the regular [Balance Breaker]. It is created by the desire and endless pursuit of strength. It can only be obtained when the wielder becomes completely 'attuned' to the Sacred Gear."

Ddraig?

" _No idea. None of my past wielders ever unlocked it."_

That's unexpected. Since there were a lot of them, I thought one of your past wielder would have accessed it.

" _That Fallen said that the wielder must be attuned to the Sacred Gear, right? Do you think there's a human out there that can keep up with me?"_

...good point.

"Lastly, the Irregular [Balance Breaker]. Your friend's [Sword of Betrayer] is one of this. From what Kamael told me, the [Sword of Betrayer] was created using the combination of the Sacred Gear, [Sword Birth] and the departed souls of Kiba Yuuto's friends, right? That's not something that can be considered a 'Subspecies' or 'Abyss'. That's why it is called 'Irregular'."

"That's the end of my explanation about Sacred Gears and [Balance Breaker]," Azazel-sensei turned towards me with a smirk on his face, "Any questions?"

I was silent for a moment, trying to summarize the explanation.

Sacred Gears were tools used by God of the Bible to influence the world.

" _That's right. Well... after that God's death, the Angels seem to be unable to keep it under control, though. That's why random humans received Sacred Gears."_

Most Sacred Gears were made using souls of mythological creatures or Gods. Though, there were some exceptions.

" _Examples of the former would be the [Boosted Gear], made using my soul. And the exceptions was something like the [Twilight Healing] that doesn't have any 'soul'."_

Because of God's death, Sacred Gear wielders could access Balance Breaker.

" _Yeah, and there were some variations of it. Other than the Regular Balance Breaker, there are Subspecies, Abyss, and Irregular versions."_

...Ddraig, do you think I should ask him about _that_?

" _You probably should. He seems to know a lot about Sacred Gears. His insight could be useful."_

"...sensei," I took a deep breath, "What do you know about the [Juggernaut Drive]?"

Azazel-sensei's eyes narrowed when he heard my question.

"I'm surprised you know that phrase, Issei. Where did you hear that from?"

I recalled the sights of the past wielders that I saw inside the Boosted Gear.

I was silent for a moment, thinking on how to best explain it.

"Azazel-sensei, do you know about the voices that I'd hear when I fight?"

"I heard from Kamael that you would hear voices urging you to kill, yes. I heard that it is your 'instinct' or something?" Azazel-sensei frowned as he seemed to have realized something, "It isn't your 'instinct', is it?"

"Yeah. _They_ are definitely not my instinct. Ddraig just let us assumed that way since he thinks that if I learn their identity, they would be agitated and try to influence me even more."

Azazel-sensei waited for me to continue, and so I did, "After the attack during the conference in Kuoh, Ddraig offered to show me their 'real form'."

"Those 'voices', the [Voices of the Juggernaut] are spirits that are created by dark emotions of the past possessors of the [Boosted Gear]. Similar to Ddraig, they are imprisoned inside the [Boosted Gear], and just like him, they can 'speak' to me. According to Ddraig, they would influence other wielders to act on their hatred and tempt them to use the [Juggernaut Drive] transformation."

Azazel-sensei seemed thoughtful, "Am I correct to assume that the Ascalon provide you with 'protection' that blocks their whispers, Issei?"

I nodded, "Yeah. As long as the Ascalon is inside the Boosted Gear or if I wield it, they can't talk to me."

"Artifacts used by Saints usually would grant a special protection to their wielders. And since Saint George, Ascalon's wielder, was known as the Saint who slew Dragons, that protection is strengthened against Dragon's curses such as the past wielders' curses." The Fallen Angel explained.

"Of course," Sensei added, "It's likely that the sword's history with the [Boosted Gear] plays a role."

I nodded. Ddraig said the same thing when we talked inside the Boosted Gear. Ddraig didn't know much about the protection that holy artifacts would grant, but he deduced that based on Ascalon's relation with the Boosted Gear, the sword would protect me from the voices.

Azazel-sensei created a small note and wrote something on it, "However, assuming that the [Boosted Gear] and [Divine Dividing] works in the same manner, it is strange that Vali didn't have this kind of problem."

" _The [Voices of Juggernaut]'s influence is not as strong as mine or Albion. They probably can't get past the current Hakuryuukou's natural magic resistance. I'm pretty sure that the reason they managed to influence you is because your mind lacks any magic resistance."_

...sorry for being a normal human.

"Still… this explains a lot about the [Juggernaut Drive]. It is said that when a wielder of the [Boosted Gear] or [Divine Dividing] would chant the activation words, people around them could hear voices of lament. Perhaps those voices were the [Voices of Juggernaut] that you mentioned, Issei."

Glad that I could help but… "Sensei, what exactly is the [Juggernaut Drive]?"

Ddraig explained to me that it was a curse that was placed inside the Boosted Gear, and that it was the reason why the past wielders were trapped inside the Boosted Gear. But he didn't really explain further on the details.

"It is a 'forbidden technique' possessed only by the two Sacred Gears that were created using the souls of the Heavenly Dragons. The [Boosted Gear] and the [Divine Dividing]."

"Using a special chant, the wielder of the Sacred Gears would unlock all the powers of the Dragon sealed inside the Sacred Gear. The [Juggernaut Drive] would grant them access to power comparable to the Gods at a great cost."

"A great cost?" Is it related to the past wielders' spirits being stuck in the Boosted Gear?

"The users of [Juggernaut Drive] would lose their sanity and their life force would be used as fuel to power the form. In the [Juggernaut Drive] form, they would rampage and destroy everything around them, and in a short moment, they would die. Either because their life force ran out or because they were slain by others."

"The price of using the [Juggernaut Drive], is the wielder's existence. Regardless of what they were before, the moment they chanted the forbidden chant, they became beasts that only knew destruction. They destroyed without knowing what they destroy, and were destroyed without realizing that they were destroyed."

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

After his explanation about the Juggernaut Drive was over, Azazel-sensei examined the Boosted Gear and the Twilight Healing and left as soon as he was done.

A few hours passed by since then. I was sitting on the edge of the cliff in front of the house. Examining the Boosted Gear.

"Azazel-sensei mentioned that he put Kamael's gift inside the [Boosted Gear]. Do you know what he meant by that, Ddraig?"

" _Yeah. He was talking about the Angel's feather. I don't know why he put it inside the [Boosted Gear], though. You can take it out anytime you want, just like how you can summon Ascalon or the Blazer sword."_

Kamael's feather… I wonder if it was the same feather that Kamael used as a decoy to trick Kokabiel...

"Ise-san," Hearing Asia's voice, I turned my body to the side and saw her walking towards me. Her clothes fluttering because of the wind, "If you stay up too late, you'll catch a cold, you know." She 'scolded' me lightly.

"Sorry for making you worry, Asia," I stood up and flashed her a grin. "I'll go back and sleep now, thanks."

Asia opened her mouth but closed it immediately. She seemed to want to say something but decided not to for some reason.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"U-umm…" She blushed, "Even though I said to Ise-san not to stay up too late…"

"Yes?" My eyebrow rose as I waited for her to continue.

"...can we talk for a bit?"

I blinked, wondering why she would even need to ask. "Sure, let's talk in the house since the wind is getting stronger."

After a few minutes, we were sitting on wooden chairs inside the house. Though she said that she wanted to talk with me, Asia was looking at her own lap quietly.

...this is awkward... Ddraig, what should I do?

" _...you're seriously asking a Dragon for advice on how to break awkward silence?"_

...then again, that might not be a good idea. Oh well... let's just try to talk about something.

"Asia," I called out to her and she raised her face, "How have you been?"

" _...seriously?"_

Shut up, Ddraig. Sometimes **simple is best** , you know.

" _You should probably spend less time with that strange Angel,"_ A pause, _"The ninja one, I mean."_

"I'm fine, Ise-san," Asia answered me with a smile, "I've been taking care of the children in the village. Sometimes, they would accidentally hurt each other while playing and their parents would bring them here so I can heal them."

I nodded as I listened to Asia's story. That sounds like Asia. And by that, I wasn't just talking about how she healed them. But also how she called them children and their parents. She treated the Dragons like she would treat humans.

...it was also the reason why she was cast out though. Because she healed a Devil.

"You're really kind, Asia," I praised her, "I'm sure that they are glad that you're here."

...why?

I wondered to myself as I saw her face.

She had a sad smile as she listened to my words.

"Ise-san…"

Why do you look so sad?

"...do you feel the same way?"

Her words confused me. "What do you mean?"

"Are you glad that I'm here? With you?" She asked me a strange question.

"Of course!" I gave her the best reassuring smile as I could. Why would she ask me that?

"Then…" Our eyes met. "Why have you been pushing me away, Ise-san?"

" _And that is the cause of this farce between you and the nun?" Omikami-sama questioned. "Do you truly believe that what you attempt to do escapes her notice?"_

"What are you talking about, Asia?" I could not look away from her face. Not when I saw how her eyes clouded with disappointment.

 _But why did she look so anxious before?_

"Ise-san, Xenovia-san and I are friends," She spoke quietly, but I felt as if her words were louder than any others I've heard, "When we went out together, she would tell me stories about you."

...she knows.

"She told me that you joined a battle against a terrorist organization in Kuoh Academy over a month ago," Asia had an anxious expression as she continued her words, "I-I heard that you fought against a powerful Devil. The descendant of an old Maou."

I remained silent.

"Xenovia-san also said that you would sometimes join her to fight Stray Devils."

…

"When I heard her stories, I was worried, Ise-san. Worried that you might be hurt," Asia's lip trembled as she spoke, "...and I am ashamed to admit, I felt hurt."

...

"With the [Twilight Healing], I could have helped you. I was called the Holy Maiden, I was a healer who helped hundreds of people. But I couldn't even help the person most important to me."

"I couldn't help you, Ise-san. You never said anything. Why? Do you think that I'm unreliable?" Asia's eyes were filled with tears as she continued to speak. "Why wouldn't you tell me anything, Ise-san?"

"I was trying to protect you…" Before I realized what I did, I've already moved towards her and was hugging Asia in my arms, "...you are kind, Asia. The kindest person I know. I'm sure that if I told you about the conference, about me fighting with the Stray Devils, you would help me without hesitation..."

Yeah, even if it would hurt her. Because of her kindness, she would bear her pain and help me. She was that kind of person.

"...but that's why I can't tell you anything."

Asia's eyes seemed to implore me, 'why?'

"I'm weak, Asia. I don't have the power to defeat my opponent and force them to submit without killing them. I have to kill them, or they'd kill me. If you saw what I did, you'd feel pain. Pain because someone died. Pain because I killed someone."

...not, in truth, that wasn't the only reason. There is one more reason. Something that I didn't want to admit to others, because it was a reason that was born out of my selfishness.

I said that I wanted to protect Asia because she was precious to me. That I wanted to spare her from pain.

But… in truth… I was scared. Scared to find out how she would react to what I did.

I released her from my embrace and wiped her tears away, "...also, I was scared. Scared that you might start hating me because of what I did. Because I actually killed those Devils while telling myself that I did it to protect you."

"I could never hate you, Ise-san! I want to help you!" She asserted, "Even though I don't like seeing others being hurt, it doesn't compare to the pain of not being able to help you, Ise-san!"

To Asia, who declared such thing strongly, I could only smile bitterly. She was too kind.

I wanted to protect it. That kindness, that purity. That's why...

"Asia," I spoke to her softly, "I understand what you want to say, and I won't hide what I'm doing from you anymore."

I closed my eyes when I saw her beginning to smile, "Then-"

"But," I cut her off, "I'm sorry. I won't take you with me. I can't risk your safety like that."

"...won't you change your mind, Ise-san?" Asia asked me with hurt expression.

I shook my head, "No. No matter what, I don't want to see you near a battle. I don't want you to be hurt."

Asia did not respond to my words. She simply hung her head and left the room in silence.

...

"...damn it."


	15. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD.**

 **Warning, this story contains religious and mythological elements. The author does not mean any disrespect to the mentioned religious views.**

 **Thanks to Wrathie Winsre for the cover image!  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

 **A Cat's Melancholy**

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

Since my 'argument' with Asia a few days ago, the air between us was awkward. She would still assist in my training and heal me and the Dragons, but we rarely say a word to each other except for short greetings.

Before I knew it, the third week of my Summer Vacation ended and the day when Asia and I were supposed to return to Gremory-senpai's territory arrived.

"Thanks for all the help, Jaculus, Anguis!" I thanked the two Dragons as Asia and I waved at the Dragons in the village.

"Don't mention it, Issei!"

"Come visit us when you've learned how to make a fireball, okay?! We'll burn some trees together!"

The two Dragons responded.

No wait, Anguis, the hell are you talking about!

Since he said that he would fly us back to Gremory-senpai's territory, Asia and I were sitting on Tannin-ossan's palm. Beside me, I saw several young Dragons crowding around Asia.

"Be good, okay?" To Asia's words, the Dragons roared cheerfully.

"Are you two done saying goodbyes?" Tannin-ossan asked us.

"Yeah, I'm done," Since I was rarely in the village, I only got to know Jaculus and Anguis.

Asia nodded, "Yes, thank you very much, Tannin-san."

"Then, let's go!"

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

 _Customer Service is very important._

This, I believed.

Tannin Airways was faster compared to the Ariel Airlines. However, if I would rate the flights, I would rate Ariel Airlines higher.

Thanks to the 'barrier' magic, I didn't have any problem with the wind or anything like that during the flight, both of them were equally comfortable. The problem was that Tannin-ossan didn't talk at all. And since the situation between Asia and I was… not good, I was counting on him to start a conversation.

Something like the weather or the sky in the Underworld, or maybe something about the Dragons? The story about how Tannin-ossan became a Devil might be good too?

Anyway, I was hoping that he would say something to break this awkward silence. But because he didn't say anything, I couldn't do anything but sit while trying to look at everything but Asia.

...then again, I shouldn't blame Tannin-ossan. Sorry, Ossan. I mean, the personal problem of a customer shouldn't affect the rating of the airlines. Normally, I would definitely rate you full stars since flying on a Dragon('s palm) was cool. Oh, and also because you trained me.

" _...your thought processes never cease to amaze me, kid. Though, it's probably because you are desperately trying to keep your mind off your problems with the girl."_

Don't remind me, Ddraig.

"We're here," Tannin-ossan told the both of us as he landed in front of the gates leading to Gremory-senpai's castle. He lowered his hand, allowing Asia and I to disembark.

" _...stop with the plane jokes."_

...okay.

"Tannin-sama, it is a pleasure," Gremory-senpai bowed towards the Dragon who returned her bow with a nod. Did they knew each other? Then she turned towards Asia and I with a smile, "Hyoudou-kun, Argento-chan, welcome back."

Beside Gremory-senpai were the members of her Peerage who followed Senpai's lead and greeted us as well.

"Thank you, Gremory-senpai," Asia smiled back at Senpai. "But.. you don't have to go out of your way to welcome us…" Asia added with a troubled expression.

"Asia's right, Senpai," I nodded, agreeing with her.

"No, I insist," Gremory-senpai replied to us firmly. "You two must be quite famished, why don't we talk as we dine? Azazel-sensei told us that you both will be returning this night, so I had the maids prepare us dinner. Of course, Tannin-sama is also invited."

...she didn't really give us a chance to refuse, huh? Then again, she's right. I am hungry, and I think Asia is hungry too...

We followed Gremory-senpai into the castle, Tannin-ossan transforming into his small Dragon form.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

...delicious…

It's really delicious…

The cooking of Devils in Hell taste Heavenly...

"Ara, Buchou," I faintly heard Himejima-senpai's amused voice, "Issei-kun is wolfing down the food with tears all over his face."

"I don't understand," Gremory-senpai sounded perplexed, "He didn't react like that before."

"Boy, you're embarrassing all Dragons. Eat normally," Tannin-ossan spoke from where he was chowing down a meat.

"What are you saying, ossan?! This is my first normal meal in a while! In your territory we had to eat meats from wild animals that weren't even cooked properly!" I turned towards Asia, who should know what I meant, "Right, Asia?"

"Umm…" She had a troubled expression, "I'm sorry, Ise-san. I was given food by everyone in the village..."

"...eh?" I threw Tannin-ossan the most betrayed gaze I could muster, "Y-You told me that I had to find my own food! I had to hunt down demonic boars and some other weird animals! I learned how to bleed my game and was forced to make my own fire!"

Tannin-ossan didn't look ashamed, in fact, he seemed proud, "Yes. I didn't expect you to survive so well. Not only that, you somehow succeeded in using the Boosted Gear to create fire. I would say that I did a good job in making you stronger."

I opened my mouth to argue, but closed it when I realized that he was right. I learned a lot from hunting down the demonic beasts, since some of them had strange abilities or traits. And I studied the basic of magic while trying to make a fire to cook it.

...I was reminded of some of the crazy training that Metatron-sensei would have me do. Alongside those memories were the time that Azazel-sensei would drop by and gave me insane advices for the sake of his experiments.

"All of my teachers are insane…" I muttered as I returned my attention to the food again.

As we waited for the desert, Gremory-senpai asked Asia and I questions about what happened in the Dragon Ravine. Asia would tell her about the time she spent with the young Dragons and how she became close with Tannin-ossan's clan members.

I would tell her about the hellish training I went through under Tannin-ossan and how I would spar with Jaculus and Anguis. Tannin-ossan would sometimes interject my story with comments or suggestions for my training in the future.

As I relaxed, I felt someone staring at me and I looked around. To my surprise, it was Toujou-chan, staring at me with curiosity in her golden eyes. I stared back, wondering why she was staring.

...umm… she noticed that I had noticed her stare, right? Why is she staring still?

In the end, I was the one who relented and broke our eye contact. Though my question of why she was staring at me remained.

After we were finished with the dinner, Gremory-senpai had the maids escort Asia and I to our rooms while Tannin-ossan returned to the Dragon Ravine.

As I laid down on the bed, another luxury that I desperately missed after sleeping on the grass during my training with Tannin-ossan, I spoke to Ddraig.

Ddraig, can you wake me up in a few hours?

" _Going out to train?"_

Yeah.

* * *

 **Toujou Koneko POV**

I swung my hand, destroying another boulder.

...no, not strong enough…

Stronger…

...I have to grow stronger…

I could feel _it_ inside me. Begging me to accept _it_. To embrace _it_ and make use of _it_.

...if I accept _it_ , I'll become stronger. Strong enough to be of use to Buchou…

But… If I do that...

 _I saw_ her _standing over Master's corpse, laughing with his blood splattered all over her face._

No! I'll never become like her! I won't lose against my blood.

 _But if_ she _lost, how am I supposed to win?_

I have to find another way… Without relying on my heritage, I have to become stronger. I don't want to be weak anymore...

 _I, who was bound by the Magicians' spell, could do nothing but watch as they forced Gasper's power to run amok._

...I'm sure there's a way for me to grow stronger. A way that doesn't depend on my blood.

 _He_ did it.

Even though he was weak. He never gave up and continued to fight.

The first time I saw him, he was risking his own life to save a friend. Even though he was weaker than I. I was amazed by his determination.

When Buchou summoned him to the Occult Research Clubroom, I spoke with him for the first time. He was a perverted person, but he was kind as well.

But he didn't show the strength that he had before. So I thought that I misjudged him.

When he told Buchou that he wanted to join us in our patrol to hunt the Stray Devils, I wondered what he was trying to do.

He said that he wanted to learn how to defeat an enemy without killing them.

I thought that he was an idiot. He probably wasn't even strong enough to survive a fight with a Devil, and he claimed that he wanted to learn how to subdue them?

There were limits, even for jokes.

He explained to us about the voices in his head. The ones that would tell him to kill his enemies, to destroy.

I was surprised to realize that I could sympathise with him. It was similar to my blood.

The first time Buchou made me work with him. I had to save his life.

I thought to myself, this guy is just an idiot.

But… during the incident with the Excalibur, I saw him become stronger. He even worked together with Yuuto-senpai to fight against Xenovia and the other Exorcists.

When Yuuto-senpai disappeared, I asked for his assistance.

Not Buchou, not Akeno-senpai. I went to him. Why?

I had no idea. I just… felt that he was the only person who could _save_ Yuuto-senpai. I trusted my instinct and requested his help.

And he did it. He fought with Yuuto-senpai. And he won. Perhaps Yuuto-senpai threw the match, or perhaps he truly defeated Yuuto-senpai. Either way, his words were true.

" _...told you I will reach you."_

He reached Yuuto-senpai and offered Yuuto-senpai his hand. Something that I could not do.

Then, he fought together with us, and after the end of that incident, Yuuto-senpai would often spend his free time together with him.

...I was jealous, and at the same time, I found myself being curious about him.

He was stronger than I. Not physically, but spiritually. He managed to help Yuuto-senpai when I couldn't.

When Xenovia joined Buchou's Peerage, Buchou brought Gasper to Kuoh Academy.

...then the Peace Conference happened.

I was supposed to protect Gasper but I couldn't do anything when the Magicians attacked. They defeated me and made use of Gasper to harm Buchou and the others.

I failed my Master. I failed the person who saved me.

As I could do nothing but watch as my Master risked her life to save me. I heard that he fought against Katerea Leviathan, the descendant of the original Leviathan.

And he won. He, a human, defeated a high-class Devil.

When he joined us in our regular patrol to hunt Stray Devils, I noticed it.

He grew even stronger. Not only that his techniques were sharper, he would also show less hesitation in battle.

It was then that I realized that I am weaker than him.

He would sometimes mutter complaints and bemoan his luck, but he kept on moving forward. He conquered his instinct, his fears, and he is stronger because of that.

...I can't do that.

I am weak. The weakest among Buchou's Peerage. Buchou and Akeno-senpai have their powerful magic. Yuuto-senpai and Xenovia have their swords and skills. Gasper have his Sacred Gear.

But I… I have nothing.

If I accept my blood, I might become stronger, but, I will turn into a monster.

I… what should I-

My ears picked up the sounds of rustling grass and I turned my sight towards the intruder.

...it was him.

Hyoudou-senpai blinked in confusion when he saw me.

"Toujou-chan?"

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

"What are you doing here?"

I didn't expect to find her in the middle of the night. I thought that everyone would be asleep by now.

She didn't answer me. ...well, she was a quiet girl after all.

I scanned the area, it was a small clearing inside the forest near the castle. Around here were crushed boulders.

Wait, could it be…

"You're in the middle of training?" She nodded. "That's impressive, Toujou-chan!" She's really diligent!

...still no answer. This is tough...

"I'm going to train a bit as well. Do you mind if I do it here?"

Toujou-chan nodded.

"...uhh… Is that nod a yes, as in you do mind? Or yes, as in I can train here?"

"I don't mind."

Yes! She finally speaks!

"Okay then," I took out the kunais that Metatron-sensei gave me. I've been using them less since I received Ascalon and the Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade.

I mean, the kunais were normal weapons, unlike the two swords. They would break easily and also couldn't withstand multiple boosts. Because of that, sometimes they were too weak to be of use. Also, collecting them after a battle was a pain.

However! After I heard from Azazel-sensei that he put Kamael's feather inside the Boosted Gear, and I had an idea. I talked about it with Ddraig, and he said that my idea might be possible.

During my training with Tannin-ossan, I used fire magic to cook my food. At first, I thought that I managed to do that by converting Ddraig's energy into fire magic. But, according to Ddraig, that was not the truth.

The fire I used actually came from Kamael's feather inside the Boosted Gear.

Unfortunately, since it wasn't Ddraig's power, he also had no idea how I manage to use the fire. And the fire I created was too weak. It was just a thin wisp of fire. It was barely enough for me to burn some wood.

But, if I could actually summon a stronger flame, and cover and sustain it with the kunais like what Kamael did with his sword, I could probably use the kunai as long-range weapons.

That was the idea I had.

Let's see…

I stared at the kunai. Willing it to burn.

…

Nothing happened.

"...it didn't work, huh?" I sighed in disappointment.

I thought that since it was (in theory) similar to me accessing Ascalon or Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade, I could just will it to happen or something…

Should have known that it wouldn't be that easy.

Any ideas, Ddraig?

" _You remember how you first awaken the [Boosted Gear]?"_

Huh? You mean, when Kamael asked me to…

Hell no! I'm not doing _that_ in front of Toujou-chan! What will happen to my Senpai image?! I don't want to look like an idiot in front of my Kouhai!

" _You don't have to worry about that,"_ How can I not worry?! _"Your junior has known that you're an idiot since long ago."_

I thought back about some of the mistakes or stupid comments I made in front of Toujou-chan. ...then I remembered that my reputation along with Matsuda and Motohama was basically a common knowledge in Kuoh.

Good point, Ddraig.

" _...you're giving up too quickly."_

I stabbed the kunai on the ground and walked a few feet away from it. I was dimly aware that Toujou-chan was staring.

I took a deep breath as I spread my arms diagonally.

[Boost!]

Bringing it together, I 'chanted.'

"Ka…"

I gathered my energy as much as I could, recalling Kamael's words that I needed powerful feelings. Feelings that made me feel like I could do anything.

[Explosion!]

"Me…"

I brought my hand to the sides of my stomach.

" _Wait a sec…"_

"Ha…"

I felt it, heat. It was there, something was being formed between my hands as I continued.

" _...seriously?"_

I can do this!

"Me…"

It worked! The heat grew stronger!

" _Stop, you idiot!"_

Now, I only need to unleash it on the kunai!

"HA!"

The kunai disappeared within a beam of red light. Not even a trace of it remained as the beam dissipated.

" _...you channeled the wrong energy, kid."_

What I unleashed was not the Flames of Gevurah, but a Dragon Shot. Instead of covering it in flames, the red beam utterly obliterated the innocent weapon.

Fortunately, since I only boosted a single time before using it, the Dragon Shot was weak, so it didn't cause much destruction.

"Hyoudou-senpai…" I heard Toujou-chan's voice. I froze, wondering how she was going to react, "...you can use the Kamehameha?"

...eh?

"Teach me."

Out of all reactions, I didn't expect that.

"...you know Dragon Ball, Toujou-chan?" Who was I kidding? Of course she knew. People like Kamael doesn't know Dragon Ball series probably because they didn't live in human world! Toujou-chan lived in Kuoh, so she should know that.

She nodded, "One of my client, Morisawa-san, introduced it to me."

Morisawa-san! I don't know who you are, but good job!

Anyway, I also didn't know how I managed to use Dragon Shot while using Kamehameha, but I tried to explain it to her like Azazel-sensei did to me.

"Umm… since Toujou-chan is a Devil, you know how to use your magical energy, right?" At her nod, I continued, "Azazel-sensei told me that I should condense the magical energy into a small form and then let it explode in one direction or something like that…"

She kept staring at me without blinking.

...was my explanation lacking? Yeah, probably. Azazel-sensei explained it with a lot of difficult words and terms, but I had no idea how to explain it better…

"I don't get Azazel-sensei's difficult explanation," I admitted to Toujou-chan, "So I just did whatever felt right. I don't know how to put it into words. It was mostly instinct..."

"...instinct…" Toujou-chan repeated as she moved her gaze to the ground.

She raised her cupped her hands at the side of her stomach and closed her eyes. A black sphere was formed between her palms.

Opening her eyes, she swung her arms, sending a black beam towards a boulder, obliterating it in the matter of seconds.

"Wow…" It took me days before I could manage to create an energy sphere, much less something strong enough to destroy a boulder. "You're really talented, Toujou-chan."

She turned her gaze back towards me, shaking her head. Is she embarrassed because of the praise? No, actually… she seemed a bit depressed.

"Is something wrong? I asked her. She just shook her head again.

...I probably shouldn't continue questioning her. I mean, I hardly knew her.

Still…

"If there's anything I can help with, just tell me, okay?"

Toujou-chan seemed to be a bit hesitant for a bit, but she nodded.

A few moments after that, Toujou-chan fired 'Kamehameha' again and destroyed another boulder.

I should focus on my training too. Let's see…

It was a pity that I lost a kunai, but the Kamehameha technically worked. So maybe I was onto something after all…

Maybe the reason I used Dragon Shot instead of the Flame was because the image of Kamehameha I had was a beam. So I need to use the right image this time. Something that was related to fire…

Wait a sec… Fire, Biblical God, and a Flaming Sword, right?

I grinned as I realized the perfect 'chant.'

" _...I have a feeling that I don't want to see this…"_

I took out a kunai. And 'chanted.'

"I shall prove here why my Name is the strongest. Fortis931!"

To my disappointment. Nothing happened. And here I thought that Sityl-san's Magic Name would work.

I mean, Sityl-san was a Christian, right? Even though Kamael wasn't exactly Christian, it should be close enough. Also, Sityl-san used fire magic and even used a fire sword sometimes.

Oh well… maybe some other chants related to fire? Maybe mentioning the Flame-Haired, Burning-Eyed Hunter would work?

" _That embarrassing display aside, I think that you're going about this wrong."_

What do you mean?

" _Unlike the Dragon Shot, which is made of my energy. You are trying to access the Angel's flame, right?"_

Yeah.

" _Then you'd probably have a better luck in trying to call his flame instead of just trying to make a fire."_

There's a problem with that, Ddraig.

" _A problem?"_

That's what I've been doing when I trained with Tannin-ossan. I would focus my thoughts on Kamael's flame and wished for it to appear.

However, the flame that appeared was weak. And no matter what I did, it wouldn't grow stronger.

" _Hmm…"_ Ddraig seemed to be considering something, _"Then maybe the problem is not you, but the feather and the [Boosted Gear]."_

What do you mean?

" _You mentioned that, in theory, what you are doing is similar to summoning Ascalon or the other sword, right?"_

You could call it by its name, you know. Blazer Shin-

" _Anyway!"_ Ddraig cut me off, _"While you're right about that, I think that it's a bit different. With Ascalon and the other sword, the [Boosted Gear] simply unloaded the objects that are stored in it."_

I listened to Ddraig's explanation silently, wondering where he was going with this.

" _In case of the feather, you are trying to draw the object's power through the [Boosted Gear], not the object itself. Most likely, most of the energy you drew diffused before it was discharged, causing the flame to be weak."_

You mean… like Transfer?

" _That's right. When you Transfer an energy to an object or a person, some of that energy are not transferred and is dissipated instead. This is similar to that, just worse."_

So there's no way to make the fire stronger?

"Hyoudou-senpai."

Before Ddraig could answer me, I heard Toujou-chan's voice.

"Yes, Toujou-chan?" We'll talk about this later, Ddraig.

" _Sure."_

"Why do you fight?" She asked me.

I could do nothing but blink, confused by the question that came out of nowhere.

"I want to protect my family and friends," Since there was no harm in answering, I answered it truthfully.

"Also," I continued, "I made a promise with someone." A promise with the Sun to be exact.

"Even though you're just a human?"

I took mental damage from that comment. I knew that unlike Kamael who used the word 'human' as a praise, most of other supernatural beings consider humans as weaklings.

Seriously, Toujou-chan could be so blunt sometimes…

"Well… I might be a weak human right now. But that's why I'm training, right? Besides, it's not like I'm aiming to become the strongest or anything like that. I'm satisfied as long as I can protect Asia."

"Argento-senpai?" Toujou-chan repeated as she tilted her head to the side.

"Yeah," I nodded. "You guys in the Occult Research Club and Kamael are strong enough to protect yourselves. My family and other friends have nothing to do with the supernatural. So I guess the one that I want to protect the most is Asia."

"So you fight for Argento-senpai?"

I nodded, "Yeah. Though, if you or anyone else need my help, I'd definitely help."

"Is that how you became strong?"

I couldn't help but laugh hearing that. She frowned, maybe thinking that I was laughing at her.

"Sorry, Toujou-chan. But that's a strange question," I held my hands up as I said that, trying to show her that I meant no offense, "I'm not strong, you know. Like you said, I'm just a human. You're far stronger than I am."

The Devil shook her head, "You've grown stronger. Compared to when you fought the Fallen Angels."

Was she talking about the fight with Raynare? Or the one with Kokabiel?

Nonetheless, I couldn't agree with her comment.

"You're wrong, Toujou-chan. I'm still still too weak." Yeah, that's why… "That's why I got into a fight with Asia."

"A fight with Argento-senpai?" She sounded incredulous.

Understandable, really. Since Asia was kind, the sight of her arguing with someone would be unbelievable.

"Yeah," I nodded.

Then I told her about the disagreement I had with Asia.

About how Asia wanted to help me in my fights.

About how I did not want Asia to be involved in any fight.

"I don't want her to be pained by seeing others be hurt," I told Toujou-chan, "I mean, she is a kind girl. No matter who it is, she can't stand seeing others in pain."

Toujou-chan kept on listening.

"I know that she wanted to help me because of her kindness. But that's why I can't let her help me."

"You're wrong," Toujou-chan suddenly spoke up.

Huh?

"What do you mean, Toujou-chan?"

"I think that you're wrong, Hyoudou-senpai," She repeated. "You think that Argento-senpai wanted to help you out of kindness. But that was wrong. Even though her kindness might be a reason, I don't think that it is _the_ reason why she wants to help you."

What other reason could there be?

"She wants to help you because she likes you."

...what?

"She learned that the person she likes is fighting for her sake. It's impossible for her to stand still and do nothing. She wants to help you, to repay you. She…" Toujou-chan's gaze lowered as she continued, "...she wants to be useful to you."

I was silent as I pondered over her words.

...was she correct? That Asia wanted to help me because she likes me?

" _Will you die for me?"_

No. There's no way anyone would like me…

Toujou-chan and I were silent. I wondered that if I tried to argue with her, it'd result in a similar situation with Asia.

But then, a _third voice_ spoke up.

"Taking a night walk with your boyfriend, Shirone? Onee-chan is really proud nya~"

A kimono-clad young woman with huge breasts walked into the clearing. Her mischievous smile and cat ears gave off the impression of a naughty ca-

...wait, cat ears?!

 **Nekomimi Onee-san KITAAA!**

She mentioned an unfamiliar name and called herself 'Onee-chan', was she talking about Toujou-chan? But she was some kind of a Nekomata, right? Could it be that Toujou-chan was a Nekomata before she became a Devil?

I turned towards Toujou-chan to see her reaction. She stood still, her eyes filled with fear and hatred as she stared at the Nekomata lady.

Seeing her reaction, I immediately stood between Toujou-chan and the woman.

The Nekomata smile was unchanged, but she turned her focus towards me instead.

I froze. She did not show any intent to kill or acted with any hostility, but I felt it. This woman was powerful. No, more than that, I knew instantly that she could kill me without batting an eyelash.

"Shirone, It's been a while, hasn't it?" She spoke to Toujou-chan, completely dismissing me, " How about a hug for Onee-chan?" She spread her arms, inviting Toujou-chan to hug her.

"Kuroka-neesama…" Toujou-chan whispered her name. So the lady was her sister after all.

Kuroka lowered her arms, seemingly accepting that Toujou-chan wouldn't hug her. "Onee-chan is here to talk with her little sister privately. Can you call off this scary onii-san nya~?"

I snorted, as if I could scare this lady. Inexperienced as I was, I could tell that she was at least as strong as Katerea Leviathan.

"...Hyoudou-senpai…" Toujou-chan spoke to me softly, "...please leave."

I turned my head to see her. Toujou-chan's expression was firm, but I could see her trembling slightly.

I resolved myself.

"No."

Toujou-chan's eyes opened wide as she stared at me with shock written on her face. I smiled reassuringly at her and turned my gaze back to Kuroka.

The Nekomata still had a mischievous grin, but her eyes seemed to be sharper as she spoke, "It's rude for an outsider to eavesdrop on a family talk nya~"

"Sorry. I have my obligations as a Senpai. If you just want to talk with her, then talk with me here. I'm not budging an inch," I told her bluntly, aware that I was most likely signing my own death warrant.

"Hmm…" Kuroka examined me. "I guess it doesn't really change anything. Then, Shirone, I'll make it short nya~"

The Nekomata continued, stating her intentions.

"Come with me and join the Khaos Brigade."

...fuck.

She was one of them. One of the Khaos Brigade.

Ddraig, any way for Toujou-chan and I to escape?

" _Difficult. That's not a normal Nekomata, she's a Nekoshou. A troublesome kind of Nekomata who, in addition of Youjutsu, is also capable of using Senjutsu."_

Demon Arts and Sage Arts? I need more explanation here, Ddraig.

" _As its name would suggest, Youjutsu is a branch of techniques that only a Youkai can use. Not much is known about it, so I can't really explain it to you. A simple explanation would be Kitsune Youkai and their illusion techniques."_

" _As for Senjutsu, it is a magic art that uses life-force as energy. The user can manipulate their life force to strengthen themselves or weaken others. Not only that, a skilled Senjutsu user is also capable of ignoring physical and most magical defenses and attack their opponents' ki directly."_

So it's virtually unblockable? That's dangerous...

"I failed to bring you with me when I left before," Kuroka spoke to Toujou-chan, "That's why I'm here to pick you up."

Toujou-chan opened her mouth to speak, but Kuroka cut her off, "On the off chance that Shirone refuses. Onee-chan would be overcome by sadness and be forced to play with a scratching post to blow off some steam nya~"

...she meant me, didn't she? When I saw her send a smirk towards me, my doubts were dispelled. Yeah, she definitely meant me.

"Don't listen to her, Toujou-chan," I spoke up, "I can handle playing with a cat for a while. You should do what you want to do."

I doubt there was a route where both Toujou-chan and I escaped successfully. The best way to ensure that Toujou-chan escaped safely was for me to distract Kuroka.

"Hyoudou-senpai…"

"That _Senpai_ over there," Kuroka focused all of her attention towards me, "I let you listen in to our private talk, but if you're going to interfere…" Her expression changed. Her eyes were glaring at me and her grin was bloodthirsty. "...you might meet some _misfortune_ nya~"

I gathered my courage and smirked, "A Senpai should look cool in front of their Kouhai, you know! A misfortune or two is nothing!"

I held my kunai and raised it in front of me as I readied myself for her attacks. I should probably save Ascalon and Blazer Shining Aura Darkness Blade in case I need to ambush her with them somehow.

I mean, it worked on the Leviathan lady. So it might work on her.

[Boost!]

"Nya? Isn't that the [Boosted Gear]?" Her eyes lit up in amusement, "This is a surprise, I didn't expect you to be the Sekiryuutei. The capability to increase your own power, right? How interesting."

...your fame makes it difficult for me to surprise my opponent, Ddraig.

" _I never needed to surprise them back when I was alive."_

Sorry for being a weak human, Heavenly Dragon-sama.

Kuroka's malicious intent filled the area. Causing me to take a step backwards, trying to cover Toujou-chan.

"...Toujou-chan, you should probably hurry back to Gremory-senpai's castle," I told her. Considering that Nekomata were said to have good senses, whispering probably wouldn't help, "I'll try to buy you some time."

"No, Hyoudou-senpai…" Toujou-chan refused, "Nee-sama is too strong. You'll be killed..."

"Shirone is right, Sekiryuutei-chan," Kuroka's grin widened, "Besides, I'm not letting either of you get away."

I felt 'something' happen.

Though the scenery remained the same, I felt as if I was in a completely different place.

" _Space Manipulation…"_ Ddraig growled. _"The Nekomata is more resourceful than I thought. Looks like our escape routes were cut off."_

"In case you missed it," Kuroka spoke cheerfully, "I just covered this forest inside a barrier. This place is now completely separate from the world 'outside.' No matter what we do here, nobody from the outside world can see or hear us. So…"

She licked her hand, not unlike how a cat would lick its paw, "...shall we play?"

[Transfer!]

[Boost!]

I swung an empowered kunai and barely managed to cut a magic bullet that Kuroka shot towards me.

Fast! She shot that magic circle without any preparation or chant!

"Toujou-chan, let's beat her!" I encouraged Toujou-chan as I prepared myself to attack Kuroka.

She didn't respond.

"Toujou-chan?" I couldn't afford to take my eyes off Kuroka, so I didn't know what expression she was making but…

"Nee-sama, I'll go with you. So please let Hyoudou-senpai go."

I whipped my head and stared at Toujou-chan in shock.

"What are you saying, Toujou-chan?! If you go with her, you can't go back to Gremory-senpai! We should be trying to beat her instead!"

Toujou-chan shook her head, "No, Hyoudou-senpai. I understand Nee-sama's power more than anyone else. She is as powerful as an Ultimate-class Devil. Even if we work together, we can't defeat her."

"Toujou-chan…" It's no use. She is trapped by fear… I don't know the reason why, but it seems that in Toujou-chan's mind, Kuroka is _someone that can never be defeated_.

"Well, Sekiryuutei-chan?" Kuroka spoke into my ear, "As you can see, Shirone agreed to my offer. Stop your bravado, nya~?"

I turned my head. Our faces were close to each other. I could see amusement and triumph in her eyes as she waited for my answer.

"I'll have to refuse again," I told her, "If Toujou-chan actually wants to go with you. I'll gladly let her go. But, if I can't just let her sacrifice herself for my sake. There is no way I can live with myself if I let her do that."

"I see," Kuroka closed her eyes, smiling, "You are a good person, Sekiryuutei-chan."

She raised her hand, opening it towards my face.

"That's why, it's such a pity that I have to kill you."

[Boost!]

[Blazer!]

I swung the Light and Darkness Blade the same time she fired a magic bullet. I cut the bullet into two and moved to stab her. To my surprise, she allowed herself to be stabbed.

" _Illusion! To your left!"_ Ddraig roared a warning towards me.

I rolled to the front, barely avoiding magic bullets sailing past where my head used to be.

I raised my head and sighed.

"This is going to be painful.."

Multiple 'clones' of Kuroka stood in the clearing. Surrounding me. Since the clones were illusions, they couldn't actually harm me. But, the real Kuroka would be hiding among them, and I couldn't risk being hit by her attacks.

Fortunately, they seemed to be ignoring Toujou-chan. She probably thought that defeating me would be easy and she can just take Toujou-chan with her later.

Well… I'm not going down that easily.

"Bring it on!"

Magic bullets rained down towards me.

Let's play some bullet hell!

* * *

 **Toujou Koneko POV**

[Explosion!]

[Dragon Shot!]

I watched as Hyoudou-senpai struggled against Kuroka-neesama.

He fought with all he had. His swords cut down Kuroka-neesama's magic bullets, and his technique obliterated the clones.

However, Onee-sama was toying with him. With each clone Hyoudou-senpai destroyed, two would take its place. And as the battle continued, Kuroka-neesama would start to attack not just with her magic bullets, but also her claws.

Hyoudou-senpai tried his best, but he could not match Onee-sama's experience and skill.

I shut my eyes when I heard Hyoudou-senpai's voice crying out in pain. One of Onee-sama magic bullet had hit him.

"Look, Shirone. Sekiryuutei-chan is having trouble," One of Kuroka-neesama's clone spoke to me.

"And you're just standing here, watching," Another clone whispered to me softly. "You're really an obedient house cat, aren't you?"

Why am I just standing here? _Because I can't do anything else… I'm useless..._

"Why aren't you helping him?"

Why am I not helping Hyoudou-senpai? _Because it is meaningless… We can't win against Onee-sama._

"He's throwing his life away for you, Shirone."

...that's right. He's fighting for me…

He could just let Onee-sama take me away and nothing would happen to him.

Buchou would understand if he explains what happened. _He is just a human after all._

[Dragon Strike!]

Hyoudou-senpai tried to destroy Onee-sama clones, but she was starting to fight more seriously and her clones were more 'real' than before.

They countered his attacks. His sword swings would be stopped by magic bullets, whenever he tried to avoid their attacks, other clones would ambush him.

Even though they weren't the real Kuroka-neesama, Hyoudou-senpai could not allow any of their attacks hit him. If the one who hit him was the real Onee-sama, he would be incapacitated in an instant.

Hyoudou-senpai screamed in pain again.

"Look, Shirone," One of the clones spoke, loud enough for Hyoudou-senpai to hear, "He's laying on the ground. After trying so hard to act cool."

"Doesn't this sight remind you of something, Shirone?"

I stared at the sight before me. Hyoudou-senpai, laying on the ground with wounds all over his body. One of Onee-sama's clones, no, the real Onee-sama stood over him, licking the blood off her claws.

It's the same.

Just like that day.

"What do you think? It's exactly like when I killed our Master, isn't it?" _She_ embraced me, "This time, I'll be sure to take you with me." She spoke directly into my ear, "We'll always be together, Shirone."

I screamed.

* * *

 **Hyoudou Issei POV**

I heard Toujou-chan's scream. I heard Kuroka taunts and words.

...I see.

I still don't understand a lot of things. But… I know that Kuroka killed someone important to Toujou-chan and caused her to fear her own sister.

I tried to stand, but Kuroka slammed her foot onto my body, causing me to gasp in pain.

Get up…

...I have to get up…

I've used up all the energy stored in the Boosted Gear.

Toujou-chan can't fight because of her past.

The barrier prevented anyone from learning of what is happening in this forest.

Kuroka stood above me, magic bullets dancing around her, ready to end my life.

...am I going to die here?

Without being able to fight back?

Without being able to save my junior?

Without being able to reconcile with my friend?

Is this the end of the path I chose?

...I don't want that…

...I…

" _Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you."_

...who?

Who said that to me?

Ahh… it was him, wasn't it?

The Angel who became my friend.

...since you said that to me. Can I trust in those words?

Even if God is dead, you'll grant my prayers, right?

You saved me after all.

"...please…"

"Nya?" Kuroka grinned, "Begging for your life, Sekiryuutei-chan? That's uncoo-"

"Kamael…" I called out my friend's name, "...please lend me your strength…"

I want to save Toujou Koneko.

I want to make up with Asia Argento.

I don't want my path to end here.

" _I want to live!"_

 _His Flames_ covered my body, causing Kuroka to jumped away from me to avoid being burnt.

I slowly stood up. My breathing relaxed as I felt warmth covering my body.

The jewel in Boosted Gear shone, showing words written in a language that I could not understand. But I knew what was written on it.

Kamael's feather, covered with the Flames of Gevurah, floated above the Boosted Gear. Without any hesitation, I grabbed the feather. The Flames did not harm me. Because _he_ would never harm me. Not as long as I remain true to my humanity.

"...Ddraig…" I called out to the Dragon.

He did not reply. But I knew he was listening.

"Take it. The Gift my friend gave to me."

" _Got it."_

The feather disappeared, I could see the Flames being absorbed into the Boosted Gear.

[The Flames of Gevurah is Taken!]

I swung my left arm and the _Flames of Gevurah_ exploded. Destroying the clones and leaving only the real Kuroka near me.

I smirked as pointed at her with my left arm.

[Flame!]

The Boosted Gear ignited, the Flames symbolizing God's Wrath covering it. The Nekomata was looking at me cautiously now. Even though I was still weaker than her. Even though I was injured. She could tell that if that Flame hits her, she wouldn't survive unscatched.

"Let's start the round two, shall we?!"

* * *

 **A bit of a note here. Some of you might be wondering why Koneko is less confident and more depressed than in canon DxD. The reason behind this is because Issei is not a Devil in Deuteronomy.**

 **Because Issei isn't a devil, The ORC doesn't fight Riser (Because Issei wasn't there to trigger Riser's fuse and cause Riser to challenge Rias). Also, without Issei (and Asia) being part of Rias' peerage, Koneko feels more pressure of being unable to help Rias.**

 **In addition, in canon, when Kuroka appeared, Rias was also there, and Rias was the one who encouraged Koneko. In Deuteronomy, while Issei is trying to encourage her, it's less effective than Rias (or canon Issei) as Koneko and Issei are just acquaintances.**

 **Also, the 'evolution' of Issei's Boosted Gear begins starting from this arc. Unlike canon Issei, this Issei will not have Cardinal Crimson or Triana. Instead (Based on how canon Issei took Albion's power) Issei will gain portions of his allies' powers.**

 **Any thoughts or comments? As usual, questions are also welcome.  
**


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